• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Current Newspaper PDF
  • Eastwick Press Info
  • Contact Us

The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

  • School News
  • Sports Outdoors
  • Obituaries
  • Letters & Comments
  • Church Directory

La Tragedie de Carmen At Hubbard Hall

August 21, 2009 By eastwickpress Leave a Comment

a review by Alex Brooks
The Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre has opened a new production of La Tragedie de Carmen, running through August 23. This is an adaptation created in 1981 by the celebrated English director Peter Brook and several other collaborators, with libretto by Sheldon Harnick. Those expecting the grand spectacle of the original Carmen, with its multiple choruses and grand production numbers, will not find it here. In this version, the story is boiled down to its essential elements, leaving four singers and two other speaking parts and a production that runs an hour and ten minutes with no intermission. The story thus moves at a dizzying pace and sometimes seems to progress faster than we can take it in. Carmen seems barely to have begun her love affair with the soldier Don Jose when she begins to fall in love with the bullfighter Escamillo, and Don Jose’s disintegration under the spell of Carmen proceeds at an alarming pace.
But this production is by no means lesser than larger productions of the traditional version, because of an extraordinary performance by Kara Cornell as Carmen. She is by turns imperious, sultry, passionate, and devious – everything that a great Carmen should be. The great crowd pleasing music is still here, sung solo rather than with the big choruses, and Cornell’s renditions of “La Habanera” and “The Flower Song” are delightful.
The high point of the opera is the scene in which Carmen is seducing Don Jose while he is leading her off to jail. The choreography, by MK Lawson, involving the rope he is leading her by, is lovely.
So by all means at some point in your life catch a production of the traditional Carmen with all the bells and whistles. But when you do, you will not get the experience offered at this Hubbard Hall opera – of experiencing in an intimate setting a first rate portrayal of Carmen by a performer of Cornell’s immense talent.
Remaining performances are Thursday through Saturday, August 20-22, at 8 pm and Sunday, August 23, at 2 pm. For tickets, you can call the Hubbard Hall box office at 677-2495 until Friday at 5 pm. Tickets will also be sold at the door, but, of course, there is a possibility that some of the shows will sell out.

Filed Under: Hoosick, Local News

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

    Archives

        Footer

        Local News

        Moment of Silence at Tops Market

        The Tops Friendly Market in Hoosick Falls will join all Tops stores in a collective moment of silence on Saturday, May 21 at 2:30 pm, seven days after the tragic shooting in Buffalo. “The impact of this tragedy stretches across our community and nation. We stand together as we remember them and pray that their […]

        Play Ball on Troy City Streets

        By a unanimous 7-0 vote, The Troy City Council on Thursday evening, May 19, approved an amendment to what Council President Carmella Mantello referred to as “an archaic law” that said “no person shall play ball in any of the streets of the City.” In her press release, Council President Mantello said after a recent […]

        Chief Ashe Resigns and Pleads Guilty to Misconduct

        by Doug La Rocque Former Hoosick Falls Village Police Chief Robert (Bob) Ashe was arrested by NYS Police on Monday, May 16, and accused of Official Misconduct. He pled guilty that evening in Village Court to the charge, a misdemeanor. Village Court Judge Thomas Restino gave the former chief an unconditional discharge and ordered him […]

        School News

        College Signing Day – Tamarac

        On Tuesday, May 17, nine Tamarac High School student athletes signed their letters of intent, committing to play for the respective college or university they’ll be attending. The students were accompanied by their families, the Tamarac Booster Club and Tamarac High School athletic and administrative staff. Those students are:

        New Tamarac Elementary Principal

        The Brunswick (Brittonkill) Central School District is pleased to announce that Kelly Onorato has been named the new principal of Tamarac Elementary School. Mrs. Onorato, a resident of Brunswick, is currently the assistant principal at Tamarac Elementary. She replaces Mr. Richard Pogue, who is retiring after 16 years in the District. Mrs. Onorato is bringing to the […]

        Hoosick Falls CSD Budget Vote Information

        Submitted by HFCSD Communications On Tuesday, May 17, from 9 am to 8:30 pm, the Hoosick Falls Central School District will hold its budget vote in the high school gymnasium. The proposed budget of $25,348,933 will have a tax levy increase of 1.96%. Also on the ballot will be three seats on the Board of […]

        Copyright © Eastwick Press · All Rights Reserved · Site by Brainspiral Technologies