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Carmen by the New York City Opera

Carmen is an opera that is recognized around the world as one of the very best. It has been translated into many languages and shown in opera houses everywhere. This is because of its powerful characters, original plot, strong and famous arias, and its reflection on Spanish culture.

French musician Georges Bizet (1838-75) composed Carmen in 1873, and its premiere was at the Opèra-Comique on March 3, 1875. The critics bombed it on the first day because the Opèra-Comique was a family theater where the audience expected to be entertained, to laugh and have a good time with their kids. They never expected to be shocked and appalled at the fact that the opera deals with seduction and murder. Worn out from rehearsals, Bizet died exactly three months after the premiere at the age of 38. However, after his death, the opera soon played in Budapest, St. Petersburg, London, New York, and Philadelphia, as well as in many other places.

Carmen is about a young gypsy woman who is so attractive and powerful that everyone instantly falls in love with her and does whatever she pleases. The two main characters of the piece are Carmen and Don Jose, a Seville soldier. The most important thing to Carmen is her freedom and the fact that her actions are based not on what's important but what she feels like at the moment. Don Jose sacrifices a lot for his attraction to Carmen. He goes to jail, leaves the military, thus ruining his good name, rejects his loving fiancée and leaves his old mother to die. Just when he is ready to dedicate his whole life to Carmen, she announces that she has fallen in love with the local bullfighter, Escamillo. This drives Don Jose mad because he has nothing left in the world except his passion, and he murders Carmen in a fit of rage.

The overture at the beginning of the opera is not just made for people to talk amongst themselves and have a chance to go to the bathroom, but is a very special piece on its own. The most memorable arias are Habanera, sung by Carmen in the first act to establish her character, and the Toreador Song from the second act that I'm sure everyone has heard of and will be humming once they leave. The costumes and scenery are very beautiful (the suit of the bullfighter amazed me the most). The scenery changes frequently and is very realistic. For example, when Madama Butterfly was playing at the State Theater, the stage was absolutely bare and could not even compare to the one in Carmen.

The cast was very talented, and they sang, not to mention acted and danced, beautifully. This opera familiarizes the public with Corridas, the life of contrabandits, and traditional Spanish dances and costumes. At the same time, the opera was built in tradition of the French comic opera.

Even though this was the end of the week and I was very tired, I had such a great time that I forgot about everything and enjoyed the whole show very much.

The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

The official website of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus features the picture of an insane, rabid bunny with infernal red eyes and arched eyebrows, fangs, antlers (that?s right), and a smug, sinister smile. The bunny is jumping through a ring of fire. This disturbing image rid me of any preconceptions I've ever had about the circus and I headed the Palace of Variety without a clue what to expect. Actually, the first cirkus official I bumped into stood just outside the Palace, below the marquee. He was a man dressed, I believe, exclusively in argyle, beckoning the public to "step right up and see the world's tallest midgets, the shortest giants!" And on that note, I entered the world of vaudeville, a form of cheap family entertainment unseen on Times Square since the fifties. It's an art that just screams out "show business". It can be hilariously outrageous, enticing, and odd. All inhibitions are checked at the door. There are no rules here, no order. Even the lines between performer and spectator are blurred. There's a certain feeling of comradeship between everyone in the theater.
The theater itself was very intimate and only about fifteen people made up the audience - mostly High 5 teens and a couple of parents with small children. As we relaxed and spread out in the space, a clown unnoticeably stumbled in from the hallway. He looked more like a classic hobo - tattered clothing, tattoos, a noose around his neck. He was in need of a shave and was more than slightly inebriated -- or maybe just really discouraged and tired. His name was Kinko, and periodically throughout the show, he made balloon animals for the kids and graciously showed us his impressive audition for the French-Canadian Cirque. We applauded, though he probably would?ve preferred some cash. But he accepted any signs of appreciation he could get.

Other attractions included the hospitable ringmistress Philomena Bindlestiff, a "world-famous" tap-dancing trio (in which the singer was kind of shrill, but it was part of the charm), and a quite enthralling gymnastics act by Laura the Fire Goddess. The most memorable performer for me though, was a crazed British woman by the name of Ms. Behave (you chuckled at that, admit it). Anyway, after she winked provocatively and stuck a rose through her tongue, she proceeded to hunt the audience for "volunteers". As I saw her head down my row, I frantically pointed at my friend sitting next to me, but she was determined. She dragged me and another guy down the aisle onto the stage and...all right, I won't go any further just because spontaneity and surprise are so essential to the cirkus. Let's just say it was a pretty surreal experience for me.

Now keep in mind, the Bindlestiff round-up changes every week so you might not even see Ms. Behave and all these people. Everyone's cirkus experience will be different. But that's part of the suspense, vulnerability even. Once you commit yourself to the hour-long show, you don't know if you'll be excited or fascinated or made impatient or embarrassed or all of the above. One thing is for sure though -- you're not very likely to be bored. It's going to inspire some sort of reaction, negative or positive. The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus isn't any kind of high-quality entertainment, but it's one of the most unique and unusual things you'll ever see. Aren't you a little curious?