Opera - All-male Carmen

Set in the gay community of liberal 1920s Spain, José is the central character in this all-male reworking of Bizet's classic opera - with a fresh look at the themes of love, jealousy and betrayal. This enthralling chamber version with a cast of 4 singers and piano is sung in English.

Sexually confused and dominated by a strictly religious upbringing imposed by his widowed mother, , his journey could also be said to reflect the turmoil and tragedy still faced by too many LGBT individuals. Farmworker José has come from the country to Seville to get a glimpse of the young man he has idolised from afar, the burlesque dancer, Carmen. A chance encounter throws them together for the night, but the very next day, Carmen meets the wealthy, powerful and sexually charged matador, Escamillo. The surge of jealousy that José feels is aggravated when the pair take him to a notorious cruising site in a crass attempt to get him to accept his sexuality. His anger, resentment and violence burst forth when he is brought news that the most important person in his life, his mother, is dying. The rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Spain have undergone several dramatic changes in recent decades. Today Spain provides one of the highest degrees of liberty in the world for its LGBT community. However, this was not the case for much of Spain's history. The slow and hard ongoing process toward acceptance of homosexuality was suddenly interrupted by the Spanish Civil War and Francisco Franco's regime, which precipitated a strong repression of the LGBT community in Spain.

SUNG IN ENGLISH