Salvador Tavora’s fiery Carmen from Andalusia
Apedigree, Andalusian version of «Carmen» will arrive in Athens at the beginning of June. This fiery «Carmen» has virtually nothing in common with Prosper Merimee’s romantic, literary heroine, nor Georges Bizet’s operatic character. She was inspired by Seville’s popular culture, which is where the legend of Carmen began in the first place. An impressive production filled with music and song, the show is best described as an alternative kind of opera, accompanied by a trumpet and percussion orchestra, and brought to life by a group of 50 artists, including actors, singers, flamenco dancers, guitarists and other performers – not to mention a stallion and its agile rider. The founder of this grand spectacle is the Seville born-and-bred director Salvador Tavora. A former bullfighter, Tavora based his heroine on tales his grandparents told him when he was young about the real Carmen. A tobacco-field worker and a conscious militant, the original Carmen was fully aware of her position in society as a poor, Gypsy woman. «Carmen» will be performed by Tavora’s highly acclaimed troupe «La Quadra de Sevilla» at the Lycabettus Theater on June 3-5. Since its establishment, the troupe has performed over 3,500 shows, attended by 2 million spectators, in over 40 countries and at 150 international festivals. Lalo Tejada will interpret Carmen, Marco Vargas will play Don Jose and Juan Romero, Rafael. They will be accompanied by dancers Ana Pena, Nuria del Rocio and Anabel Rosado and singers Carmen Vega, Francisco Carrasco, David Perez and Jose Galan.
