"Carmen" presented by the Fort Worth Opera

CARMEN
cartoon from Journal amusant, 1911

The annual Fort Worth Opera Festival was recently held at Bass Hall.  The Travelling Toe and 3 Dear Friends attended the Sunday matinee performance of "Carmen".

Even if one is not an opera fan, one would still be acquainted with several of the musical numbers from "Carmen".  One of the most famous is the "Toreador Song".  It has even been used in cartoons. 

George Bizet

The opera was written by George Bizet, who  based it on a novella titled,"Carmen" written by Prosper Merimee.  

Prosper Merimee

The story of Carmen and her lover Don Jose is told in 3 acts. Musical numbers separate the dialogue of the characters. The story first takes place near a cigarette factory where the girls come out to take a break and the soldiers are delighted. That is where Don Jose first meets the sultry Carmen and his fate is sealed.  Bad girls will always do you in!

The opera is set in Seville, Spain but is sung in French.

Below is a poster from the premiere performance in 1875.  The artist of the poster remains anonymous.  

We all enjoyed the performance very much.  The stage settings, costumes and cast were all so well done and delightful.  Joe Illick was the conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony which made the performance even better.


Main Cast Members:


Don Jose                    Robert Watson

Carmen                      Andrey Babcock

Escamillo                   Craig Irvin

Micaela                     Kerriann Otano



Fort Worth Opera


Fort Worth Symphony


Bass Hall