By Liz Eichler
Few operas can claim the cultural reach of Carmen. Georges Bizet’s melodies have escaped the opera house and become part of popular culture, recognizable whether audiences first encountered them in classic cartoons, commercials or a dusty collection of Reader’s Digest recordings. Throughout Cincinnati Opera’s production, listeners couldn’t help but nod along or quietly conduct familiar passages as Ramón Tebar led the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra through Bizet’s unforgettable score.
Yet this production succeeds because it offers far more than familiar tunes.
The World of Carmen and Don José
Director Paul Curran’s production, staged locally by Anderson Nunnelly, moves the action from 19th century Spain to 1950s under Francisco Franco’s authoritarian regime–or it could also be Cuba. It is a tropical location where military authority looms over every interaction, class divisions remain stark, and clandestine smuggling operations create constant tension between ordinary citizens and those in power.
From the moment the curtain rises, Gary McCann’s scenic and costume design brilliantly establishes those competing worlds. One side of the stage is dominated by the rigid geometry of the soldiers’ guardhouse. Opposite stands the entrance to the cigarette factory beneath a beautifully weathered billboard advertising a glamorous woman with a curl of smoke rising from her lips. The contrast is striking: control versus freedom, masculine order versus feminine allure.
Carmen is one of the cigarette factory workers. She is a bold young Bohemian woman, an outsider, but always the center of attention and desire for the nearby officers. Her “Habanera” establishes her philosophy: Love knows no law. If you don’t love me, I will love you, and if I love you–beware. She seduces the dutiful Don José, leading him to abandon both his military career and his fiancée. But Carmen refuses to belong to anyone, and when her attention turns to the celebrated matador Escamillo, José’s obsession claims her life.
World-Class Performances
J’Nai Bridges inhabits the title role with complete confidence. Having performed Carmen numerous times, she understands every facet of the character’s fierce independence. Her smoky mezzo-soprano is rich with defiance mixed with sensuality, making it easy to understand why nearly everyone who encounters Carmen becomes captivated. While a few of her lowest notes occasionally disappeared into the orchestra, Bridges commands the stage from beginning to end.
Matthew White’s Don José provides an effective counterbalance. His clear, powerful tenor conveys both the soldier’s discipline and the growing obsession that ultimately destroys him. If anything distracted, it was a military coat whose proportions never quite fit, but vocally White delivers an emotionally compelling performance.
Ryan McKinny brings swagger and charisma to Escamillo, the celebrated bullfighter. His resonant bass-baritone projects the confidence of a celebrity athlete, making the “Toreador March” feel less like an operatic showpiece than the entrance music for a modern sports hero. His initial arrival, clad in leather astride a motorcycle, only heightens that rock-star persona.
As Micaëla, Teresa Perrotta offers warmth, sincerity and vocal beauty. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, she creates a genuinely sympathetic character whose kindness stands in stark contrast to the dangerous passions surrounding her.
Santos). Photo by Philip Groshong.
The Creative Team Behind this World
The supporting cast is consistently strong, but the production’s visual storytelling deserves equal praise. McCann’s scenery is brilliant, depicting the fronts and backs of billboards, providing levels for both guards and townsfolk. The forced perspective provides depth and strong angles. McCann’s costume design vividly distinguishes civilians from soldiers, with the military’s greens contrasting against the warm reds worn throughout the town. Women’s fashions evoke the era with unmistakable 1950s silhouettes. Religious processions featuring priests, nuns and choirboys reinforce the pervasive and controlling influence of the Catholic Church, while Thomas C. Hase’s lighting deepens those saturated reds until even the curtain seems to glow with the opera’s mounting passion.
Choreographer Cervilio Amador and his dancers—Piper Panek, Llonnis Del Toro, Zander Magolnick and Nicholas Motley—bring tremendous energy to every dance sequence. During both intermissions, conversations throughout the lobby repeatedly returned to the dancers, whose performances add authenticity and excitement.
In addition to the setting, the directorial details are captivating. From the “Chanson Bohème” staged as a 1950s girl group, to the bicycles, motorcycles and ever-present cigarettes, the production is thoughtful. Still, while the jewel-toned palette is gorgeous, the production could lean further into the grit and sensuality that simmer beneath the story.
Cincinnati Symphony Excels
Musically, the evening is in excellent hands. Tebar draws vibrant playing from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, with every section—from soaring strings to sparkling woodwinds, commanding brass and crisp percussion—contributing to a richly textured performance. Henri Venanzi’s chorus, joined by members of the Cincinnati Boychoir, fills the stage with nearly 60 performers, creating scenes that feel both grand and intimate.
(Kayleigh Decker), Carmen (J’Nai Bridges), and Frasquita (Jeysla Rosario Santos). Photo by Philip Groshong.
Themes in Carmen
One aspect of Carmen inevitably lands differently in 2026 than it did 150 years ago. The opera’s central relationship culminates in domestic violence, and this production never romanticizes Don José’s obsession. With several children in attendance—some likely experiencing opera for the first time—the ending may spark valuable conversations after the curtain falls. Great art often challenges audiences as much as it entertains them, and Carmen continues to do both.
Perhaps the most interesting question this production raises is whose story Carmen really tells. Is it Carmen’s, as she fiercely protects her independence? Don José’s, as obsession consumes him? Or does this setting suggest an even larger story, one in which an authoritarian government creates the conditions invoking conflict and personal tragedies for non-conformists?
Cincinnati Opera doesn’t insist on a single answer. Instead, it trusts Bizet’s unforgettable music, powerful performances and striking imagery to let audiences wrestle with that question long after the final curtain.
Tickets to Carmen
Cincinnati Opera’s production of Carmen continues Friday, July 31, 2026 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 3:00 PM at Music Hall. Tickets, which start at $16, are available at https://www.cincinnatiopera.org/carmen.
