If you can still get tickets for Opera in the Garden, one of the live events being offered this summer by Fuller’s pubs, I would urge you to do so.
We saw a performance of Carmen, Bizet’s famous opera, at The Red Lion in Barnes last week.
It was fabulous, with a cast of just four, each of whom was a highly talented opera singer.
In a new interpretation of this classic, Rogue Opera brings Carmen to life for a modern audience, sung in French with a new English script. The singers and amazing pianist deliver an engaging and highly original format.
As the story unfolds, you follow the four main protagonists; Carmen, Josè, Escamillo and Micaëla, along with Captain Moralès, and the gypsies Frasquita and Dancaïre. The characters share their motivations and inner thoughts with the audience, bringing a fresh perspective and making it a fantastic experience for opera connoisseurs and newcomers alike.
Carmen lives a bohemian life, seeking freedom outside of the law. José, drawn to Carmen and this unconventional world, is torn between love, duty and honour. Micaëla, the loyal and pious village girl, finds strength and courage as she tries to bring Josè back from his outlaw’s life. The charismatic bullfighter Escamillo is infatuated with Carmen, recognising a kindred spirit, while Moralès, the captain, embodies everything that the gypsies, Frasquita and Dancaire are not. Set against some of the most recognisable music in opera, Carmen is a serious and still-relevant examination of the restrictions of societal stereotypes, obsessive love and the struggle of a spirited woman striving for independence and choice.
A QR code on the back of the menu shows the programme in full on your phone, and you can click on an icon beside each song for the lyrics.
The full programme of venues is on the link here but for locals you can catch it on July 31 at The Plough in Northfields, August 2 at the Forrester in Ealing August 4 and 5 at The Angler’s in Teddington.
There are quite a few other places on the schedule, and it’s worth the trip.
