Carmen

To see a live performance of Carmen was on my list of things to experience before I die (not soon I hope). I was certainly not disappointed in Victoria Vizin's performance as Carmen; it had me, and I am sure the rest of the male audience, mesmerized and ready to follow her back to Hungary. Arnold Rutlowski, in his passionate rendering of Don Juan, also delivered in voice and presence. Jennifer Nagy was a perfect Micaela and I was quite impressed... I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the entire cast and orchestra. I can rest better knowing that I can mark this opera off my list although I probably will forget to cross it off so I can experience "Carmen" again.

Wonderful and exciting. Great costumes, singing, dancing. Terrific night out for Valentine's Day.

Musically, it was excellent. Dramatically, I envisioned Carmen as a more fiery personality, as indicated by the fight she got into with her coworker. Probably because of being so far over to one side, the fights were poorly staged. From my angle the punches were way off target. But the sets were beautiful and the singing was excellent. The stars looked as I envisioned them. Overall, it was very good.

Beautiful production! World class singers! The sets and costumes were amazing.

The music was breathtaking and the acting was the best yet for PMO. What an entertaining evening!

One of the best performances I have ever seen, everything was amazing.

The Opera was performed beautifully!! The music was moving and well played. The set was very nice and I liked the fact that it was sloped forward so you didn't miss anything.

Carmen in Appleton was a quality production with great execution. The theater is well sized and laid out, staff was competent and helpful. The production while not a lavish was enjoyable and well done. The Appleton theater is a more casual and friendly experience, reflecting the expectations of the audience and the community. The symphony was fantastic, the performers were well trained and gave a great performance easily overcoming the language barrier of the material for most audience goers. The lead performers were excellent and well experienced to carry their respective roles. And I found the overall quality of the performance to be even better than expected and a fantastic evening. I hope to see more opera at the Appleton theater. It could make me a ticket subscriber, even though I am about 2 hours away.

Everything was excellant from the beginning to the end. The singers were amazing. There are really no words to describe how I acttually fell about the performance.

I would definitely recommend Carmen to a friend with one caviat, "It's long. Eat dinner first.". This would be my only major error of the evening as it started at 7:30pm and didn't end until 11:00pm. I was starving. But Kate Aldrich was spectacular. I would have loved to see a man that could have kept up with her larger than life voice alas none of the men on stage with her in this performance could do that. She is a force. Beautiful and alluring, she captured everyone's full attention.

Classic opera tends to revolve around a very simplistic story. The moral instruction of this opera is: settle down with a nice girl, don t break your mother s heart, and stay away from those wild gypsy women! As with most classic opera, the dialog tends to move slow and be repetitive. However, the stage sets were excellent, the troupe acted and sang very well, and the music, which is what I think most people see the opera for, was performed by one of the best pit orchestras I have heard. Even the acoustics of the Detroit Opera House seemed better than usual. There were four acts with three intermissions but each one was shorter than the previous. The show took most of the evening, running from 7:30 to a little after 10:30. Our rumps were a little sore by the end of the night.

It was my first oprah and I loved it! The cast and music is outstanding. The video screen operator could improve.

Carmen was my husband and my first opera, and it's a great first opera for anyone to go to because it has singing, dancing, and great choreography. Carmen and Micaela were great, although all the male characters could do with some improvement; Jose wasn't that great, and Escamillo was even worse.

It was a most enjoyable evening We especially enjoyed Sandra Eddy's perfect Carman. Give credit to settings for creating just the right atmosphere. Dennis and Jan

The performance itself was very nicely done. I would NOT recommend purchasing box seats (unless you're in row 1) for any performance at Keller unless it changes. I've seen Carmen 5 times at various opera houses and by far the Row 2 box seats at Keller were not worth it. Instead of off-setting the chairs, you sit directly behind the person in front of you forcing you to become a bobble-head the entire time. Awful! What a waste of money these seats were! Again, the performance, however, was just lovely.

Carmen was absolutely fantastic in every regard. I've seen opera's at the Met and, for the value, this was the best performance I've ever seen. Carmen was brilliant as was Escamillo. Set design was excellent, too. Can't say enough good about this show. Go and see it!

It was beautifully staged with great costumes and music that was perfect. The Flamenco dancers were a great touch. Don Jose did not understand Flamenco or he might not have ended so poorly. The Toreador was a wonderfully sung character of some depth and maturity. Hence, why his impact is so big that without reading the story you would think him the central character. It is a well disguised morality play. Truly a classic.

The overall performance of (one of my favorite operas) was beyond expectation. The the voices, staging, and music direction were wonderful. It wasn't "world class" but such a delight to see a small-town company do such a great performance. We were delighted.

Unforgettable evening and a fabulous performance! Ensemble was excellent, main cast was superb!

Overall an enjoyable performance. Well-designed sets and it stayed true to the original concept of the opera, which is really what most of us want when it comes to something with so much cultural context as Carmen. That said, it is a very long production and it made one wonder if it could have been adapted a bit to a shorter format; some of the crowd scenes and even a few of the solos seemed superfluous. The solo performances were a bit uneven, some very impressive, others a bit weak in comparison. I've seen better Portland Opera productions but this one was enjoyable. The flamenco dance before the last act was a very nice touch.

Carmen is always delightful, but this performance was truly entertaining. I loved the Flamenco element of both dance and palmas syncopated with Bizet's score.

I would give this 4.5 stars. Very impressed with the stage set, costumes, and singing. Very high caliber. Loved the evening.

AMAZING PRODUCTION ALL THE WAY AROUND! 5++ stars! The set design, perfect! The title roles, EXCELLENT! I can't rave enough good things about this production.

This was breath taking and is a must see! I had a fabulous time! there are only two intermissions between the 1st and 2nd acts so get up and move around! The last two acts will have you glued to your seat!

I love it when those sounds and sights enter my brain and force a smile upon my face. A really big one. For a long time. It was fantastic.

The sets were fabulous.the costumes were extraordinary. The ensemble was balanced . the voices were enticing. The best Carmen I have seen. The orchestra was amazing.

It was a stunning production! The singers were mind blowing and fit their characters so well. They really brought the story to life.

Sandra Piques Eddy, who played Carmen, was amazing - she had it all - gorgeous voice, acting, and even played the castanets!

The orchestra was spot on as well as the performers. The stage, lighting and costumes took me to Spain. Portland Opera knocked it out of the park, and I recommend this to anyone!

Wife and I had a great time. Starting with dinner at the Keller cafe Which was wonderful. Highly recommend it great way to start the evening t The orchestra was great. And we really loved the play Carmen and her poor lover were great together the chemistry worked All the rest of the cast were also great always in character and seemed to love doing the show

The production of Carmen was a spectacular combination of color, dance, great music, and great drama.

Carmen was the first opera I ever saw, more than 20 years ago. And it's still a favorite!

Everything about this performance of Carmen was spectacular. Sandra Piques Eddy was so well cast in this role. She is sultry and has an amazingly mesmerizing voice. The sets had so much depth and added dimension to each scene. Lighting , sound, and orchestra were perfectly blended. The extra surprise treat was the Flamenco dancers.....very professional and polished.

This was the first opera I had ever been to, and it was amazing. I was apprehensive about going because I would not be able to understand the language (French). The monitor above the stage was perfect for looking at the translations. I was mesmerized by how much their expressions came out in body language....This was powerful to me and I will be attending more operas soon.

Incredible performance! Very captivating. Despite being a long performance, time went by so quickly. The voices, the acting, the dancing, the costumes and set...just WOW!

Saw Carmen last night at the Keller. It was my very first opera ever. What a superb performance! Except after paying more than $100 for an aisle seat, orchestra level, center of the building, I couldn't see half of the stage. The guy in front of me was tall. Had to crane my neck around to get a glimpse of the left stage, whiere much of the opera took place. Pretty miffed that it cost so much, but there has been no redesign of seating. It is desperately needed. I simply can't afford to sit in the balcony or box areas, where I suspect all the seats have a clear view of the stage. Too bad. I rather like opera, and I would be a regular if there were decent seats. Guess I'll catch the operas at the Lloyd Center movie theatre. Ain't a bad seat in the house and a fraction of the cost.

I really enjoyed the entire experience! Carmen was the first opera that I've seen. I loved it so much that I purchased tickets to the next ballet, "Cinderella."

Sandra Eddy's voice was amazing and Matt Pavik was a perfect tavern keeper. We were seated in the Orchestra section near the back and I had feared that they would not be very good seats. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great place to see the sub titles and the stage as a whole. Knowing this we will attend again and not fear that because the seats were less expensive they would be inadequate.

Carmen was spectacular! Definitely would love to see it again. As a dancer, my stage name is Carmen and really thought it was relating.

Even though our seats were at the roof line, the opera was everything that I have seen and heard before in Europe. "Carmen" has a fabulous range of a voice and the acting was superb. One fault was, and I assume that only the first few orchestra rows, that when they were actually speaking, it was not understood. Perhaps it was the acoustics.

The show was so good that I wanted to go see it again the next night and would have done so if it were possible. (sadly work and money constraints prevented it)

First time seeing Carmen and it was GREAT ! Seats were in a good spot.

This was my second opera experience and it did not let me down. While waiting for friends outside the venue, a super friendly gentleman was directing people to a question and answer session that was going on as we were waiting for the auditorium to be opened. And the opera itself- very entertaining! I found myself immediately engrossed in the characters and the orchestral role was amazing! During the last intermission (where we remained seated while waiting for the ne t act), two of the players came out and danced . (Flamenco? pasodoble?)They incredible! If I was to say anything on the con side, it would be that occasionally some of the singers voices would become very quiet and a little hard to hear. At times, this could have been for emphasis on what they were singing about, yet there were other moments that just seemed to be less audible for no reason I could discern. All in all, super fantastic! and I would recommend it highly!

The orchestra was amazing. Music was perfect. The singers were strong and vibrant. They made the opera come to life. The dancers were the icing on the cake. I was mesmerized by the dancing. What a wonderful night.

I went in with low expectations and I was blown away by Opera's GR production.

The expected wonders of Carmen were achieved, the music and orchestration were superb. The acting, with the exception of Carmen and Don Jose was good. Don Jose was too weak to be the legitimate love interest of Carmen; at times he almost appeared comical in his weakness. Carmen exuded the sexuality that is central to her character but she was flawed in that there was a lack of vulnerability. She is a hard street wise character but she didn't put a humanity in her role that would make her a fantasy and a memory. The lead acting helped make this program a fun melodrama. I was not impressed with the vocal power of Carmen; perhaps it was my placement (upper loge stage left) but it was a struggle to hear her. Micaela outshined in acting, voice, stage presence and lingering image.

The acting and singing were great. Carmen is a great opera for first time opera goers to see.

Excellent show! Maestro Robert Lyall and Ginger Costa-Jackson super!

An extraordinary creation .... one of my most favorite music, while I hear this I feel joy. I have seen Carmen quite a few times at different opera houses and on DVD but never was I more impressed than with this production. Ginger is a great Carmen actress, and she have a beautiful mezzo soprano voice.

Fantastic. We got "Dressed Up" for Halloween and truly enjoyed the evening in class!

Having recently moved to Grand Rapids, this was only our second opera experience here. We were overwhelmed by the quality of the performance. The voices were spectacular, the acting superb and the instrumental accompaniment was flawless. We feel very fortunate to have such high quality performances so easily available in a city the size of Grand Rapids. The plot for Carmen is a bit more "risqué" than some others. It is amazing that such wonderful music accompanies such a plot. Of course, it's OPERA!

Just excellent, the costumes were very good. The music wonderful.

Bryan Hymel and Irini were spectacular! They sang beautifully! I am so glad I was able to attend this event! This was the best performance of an opera that I have been to thus far!!

Really enjoyed my first opera - Carmen. Every aspect was amazing! The Orchestra was spectacular. The Cast were awesome. The voices were perfect. Looking forward to go to more!

Very good show. Singing was first rate. Orchestra showed depth and had a full sound throughout the performance. Too bad the audience wasn't bigger. A lot of people missed an exciting evening out.

The overall performance was outstanding. I wish I was able to see it twice. This was my first time watching it live, and it blew me away. I cant wait to see it again!

This was my first Opera that I have ever seen, and my first event at the F.M. Kirby Center. Overall, I was very impressed with the production and cast. The singing and acting were magnificent; you felt every emotion. The set, although simple, was addequate for a small venue, and made you feel like you were in Seville. I am quickly becoming an Opera fan because of this performace!

Very enjoyable solid production with lead, supporting cast & orchestra providing a wonderful experience well with seeing regardless of the ticket pricing.

Lead character on Sunday afternoon was excellent. Her voice provided a thrilling experience. Her acting, particularly her facial features was outstanding. We enjoyed the performance very much. Staging was very limited. Chorus was also excellent in singing and acting contributions.

Leah Dexter brought down the house! She's at the beginning of a fine operatic career, and I can't wait to hear her mezzo again next time. Enrique Pina and Cody Medina shone as Don Jose and Escamillo, and Elizabeth Baldwin's aria as Micaela was absolutely riveting. My only nitpicking would be with stage action and dramatic scenes, but it's a challenge to fit 45 singers on the Lydia stage.

What a delight! First off, the orchestra was superb and well conducted, The cast members were all enthusiastic and really seemed to enjoy being part of the production. The major characters all had remarkable voices, but Joan Marie's Carmen stole the show. She could have never sung a note and I would have been enthralled by her performance. She played the gypsy seductress with both elan and humor, capturing the audience in her web of delight. I am hoping to see her again soon.

My first opera and it was wonderful. The singing was fantastic. I'd recommend it to all my friends.

This show has little to do with Carmen. They should have announced it as Enigma. The first part, Enigma, was ok, but Carmen was absolutely disappointing. Not only the cast is far from being professional, and having Carmen without the lyrics is absolutely appalling!

My husband and I were not impressed with the ballet. The back drops were quite lovely but the dancing and story telling were just okay. We sat in the second to last row and were annoyed to find that the City Ballet hires someone to film all of their productions. This is actually quite common, what was annoying was that the gentleman filming used a red light that illuminated the back of the theater casting a red glow a few aisles down and ruining the experience a bit. He also was a bit chatty, this again was just a bit annoying as my husband and I were trying to enjoy a date night and found ourselves with a third wheel courtesy of the City Ballet.

It was my first opera, so I was not sure that I would like it, but enjoy trying new things and love the theatre. It was everything I could have asked for and more. Bravo!!

The energy and skill of the performers made this a memorable event to attend. Costumes and set were perfect. The dancers divine. Carmen's role was magnificently rendered. I loved it.

It was a great production with more than 50 cast members on the stage at once. The lead players were very good actors and singers.

IT WAS MORE THAN I EXPECTED.tHE ORCHESTRA THE THE COSTUN\\MES AND OF COURSE THE MAGNIFICANT VOICES.

Just a wonderful rendition of a fine opera! Beautiful set, fabulous cast! Victoria Vizin played a great Carmen and has a wonderful voice. Arnold Kutkowski was wonderful as Don Jose. I could easily see why these performers were brought to the states to play these parts. Bravo!

The Friday night Carmen was excellent. Well sung, well staged, well conducted and played. Georges Bizet would be proud and Phoenix should be proud. International talent combined with local talent of the highest caliber in a theatre made for opera. This was a memorable experience.

Carmen is such a classic, and this was an outstanding rendition. Rutlowski is easily one of the best tenor voices you will ever hear in your life; smooth, polished, beautiful. Vikzin was excellent as Carmen, but honestly I found the actress who played Micaela to be a much easier, more listenable and lovely soprano. Just my opinion. Incredible show, great singing, gorgeous theatre.

The choice of this Hungarian singer to play Carmen was perfect. Viktoria captured her role and truly turned up the heat. You have to go see the Sunday matinee performance at the Orpheum in Phoenix. I highly recommend it.

A top-notch professinal production worthy of any major city in the country. Carmen played as a tease, a wench, a bit of a slut (praise), strong, self-confident, fully-realized. Great acting and singing. All singers with excellent voices,, stage direction that was fully-realized, nuanced and providing great suport to the action and story of the opera. Sets that looked "right" for Carmen. Outstanding voices and performances by Micaela, Don Jose and Escamillo. The Phoenix Opera really got it right!!! The theatre needs to be packed for each performance.