Earthy ‘Carmen’ promised

Press, 11 March 1987, Page 9

Earthy ‘Carmen’ promised

Elric Hooper, the director for a season of “Carmen,” sponsored by the Bank of New Zealand, has promised an “earthy” production.

All the passion that Bizet intended will be included in the opera, the second major production by the Canterbury Regional Opera Trust.

The details of the trust’s 1987 programme, which includes two opera seasons, were announced last evening.

“Carmen” will be staged by the same combination that produced a sell-out season of “The Magic Flute” last year. The Bank of New Zealand has underwritten the

season for a five-figure sum, a larger amount than it promised for “The Magic Flute.” That support was more than justified in light of the success of “The Magic Flute,” said the bank’s senior manager, Mr Eric Jack, handing over the bank’s share of the profits from last year’s season to the chairman of the trust, Mr Chris Brodrick.

“Carmen” will play at the James Hay Theatre for seven nights, opening on June 9.

Mr Hooper, the Court Theatre’s artistic director, will direct the production and the conductor will be John Matheson. They also “The Magic

Flute. The cast includes many Christchurch singers, with Margaret Findlay, of Auckland, as Carmen. A former principal with the D’Oyly Carte Opera, she has recently been raising a family. Geoffrey Chard, who will play Escamillo, will come from Australia where he is a freelance singer. From 1969 to 1984 he was principal baritone with the English National Opera.

Christchurch’s Christopher Doig will play Don Jose, and Suzanne Prain, of Dunedin, Micaela. Other Christchurch singers will include Jillian Bartram, Bell,

Peter Hewson, Peter Williams and Richard Cooper. Ursula Ryan will understudy Carmen and sing the role in one performance. The cast of 80 will include a chorus of 50, directed by the chorus master, Martin Setchell. The Arts Centre Treble Voice Choir will provide the chorus of urchins. Tony Geddes, of the Court Theatre, has designed the set The bulk of the costumes will be borrowed from the Melbourne Opera Company. The trust’s second pro-’ duction will be Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” in November. The Bank of New Zealand has also uny

derwritten that season. Mr Brodrick said the trust had chosen to do two seasons to keep opera before the public of Christchurch. He thought “Carmen” would be even more popular than “The Magic Flute.” The Christchurch production will use a score as near to Bizet’s 1875 original as possible. The libretto will be one recently translated by Anthony Burgess. Dialogue will be spoken. Other sponsors are J. Ballantyne and Company, Resene Paints, Canterbury International, Claude and Associates, and Mobil Oil New Zealand. •<.