A publicity photo of Opera Orlando's production of Carmen.
Photo courtesy of Opera Orlando.
Carmen is a world-renowned work of musical theatre, and Opera Orlando has decided to breathe new life into its production of this piece by setting the play in 1960s Haiti. This tumultuous time period will have the titular female protagonist dealing with life under the regime of Francois “Baby Doc” Duvalier and be spoken in Haitian creole. In a feature for the Orlando Sentinel, Matthew J. Palm covers the creative team's efforts to adapt this story to a new cultural setting and language.
“Setting this story in Haiti, allows us to take opera out of its Eurocentric trappings and celebrate the diversity of singers currently building their careers in opera.” - Grant Preisser
