This October Toledo Opera brings Bizet’s masterpiece, Carmen, to the stage. Carmen has captivated audiences since it made its debut on March 3, 1875, in Paris, France. The breaking of conventions in the opera shocked and scandalized those first audiences. Composer Georges Bizet died suddenly after only 33 performances — never living to see the opera’s success. Carmen has become one of the most popular operas ever performed. Even if you don’t know the Habanera or Toreador Song by name, chances are you’ve heard the tune in a film or commercial. There’ve been films based on the opera starring some of the Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses including Rita Hayworth in The Loves of Carmen and Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones. Oscar Hammerstein wrote new lyrics for some of the songs set to Bizet’s music. Carmen Jones featured an entirely African American cast breaking boundaries and making history for a second time.
Lisa Marie Rogali as Carmen
Carmen is the story of a beautiful, seductive woman who lives life on her own terms and the men who are drawn to her. Don Jose is a soldier who gives up everything for Carmen only to become consumed by jealousy and murderous rage when she falls for a bullfighter named Escamillo. This type of complicated bad-girl character was completely new in opera. Lisa Marie Rogali, who recently played the role of Carmen at the Virginia Opera, makes her debut with Toledo Opera. She was invited to play the role on the strength of that performance. “Carmen is such an iconic character, played by many singers and actors ,” says Rogali, “whenever you do a show that’s so popular, there’s a lot of expectations to portray her in certain way, but I’ve realized the best way to play her is to be as authentic in my performance as possible. So many iconic singers have played the role, so many voice types and styles, but the best ones are those who bring their own uniqueness to the role. They’re the ones who stand out.” Rogali confesses that Carmen herself is so unapologetically herself that to be successful in the role you must bring the same honesty. In order to prepare for the role, Rogali goes back to the text. This is an opera sung in French which we sometimes forget because it’s set in Spain, but she emphasizes the importance of understanding all the nuance in words being sung, even more so because it’s a second language. “I also have to come in with ideas so that the director doesn’t just tell you where to move on stage and then be open to what the director has in mind. You need to be flexible, even if the director says no to that idea and wants to go in a different direction, that’s what makes a good collaborative effort.”
A Perfect Opera
When asked what she loves about this opera in particular, Rogali says, “It’s a perfect first opera for audiences, it has so many iconic songs and is spectacular visually.” But there are challenges to every role a singer plays. “Italian, French, and German are the three main languages of opera, but in Carmen there is some spoken dialogue that requires knowing your lines in French,” she says, “you really have to work on your pronunciation and also make sure the spoken words feel natural, so the audience believes it.”
A Career in Opera
“I was very shy growing up,” offers Rogali, “so it’s funny that I chose this career. I was very musical, but I went to school to become a music teacher because I didn’t think it was possible to have this kind of a career and be able to support myself. I was very lucky that I had teachers who heard me sing and thought I had a voice for opera. I got pushed in that direction and then just fell in love with it.” It’s easy to see why Rogali makes a wonderful Carmen — a striking dark-haired beauty with a voice to match. She says, “no one in my family was musical, but opera found me – and I’m so glad it did.”
Don’t miss Toledo Opera’s production of Carmen October 10 & 12,
https://tolo-internet.choicecrm.net/dist/#/events
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