No boisterous fanfare opens the overture of Liam Scarlett’s 2015 adaptation of Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera. Instead, a bleak tattoo of drums, as if readying a firing squad, breaks through the air. Bizet’s eerie fate theme drifts in as Carmen (Victoria Jaiani on September 21) draws on her cigarette, then draws three cards from the deck, sending a projected cascade of cards raining down upon her head. Make no mistake: this Carmen is not about the dazzling life of an indomitable woman, but about her execution.

“LIBERTAD” is unsubtly painted on the gate of the cigarette factory where Carmen works (scenic and costume design by Jon Bausor). The playful dance of the working class is rapidly interrupted by the entrance of soldiers, who beat each other and those they’ve been hired to oppress. When

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