Pacific Lyric Association Presents 'Carmen' at CCAE

From the KPBS weekend arts preview:
The music in Bizet's opera "Carmen" is provocative, moody and gloriously showboating. It's also distinct, familiar (and used in a ton of commercials): from the "Prélude" to Carmen's "Habanera" to "Sortie d'Escamillo." NPR called it Bizet's "hit parade" on par with "West Side Story." (Warning: that link is pure earworm.)

The opera is set in Spain, about a gypsy, Carmen, and a soldier, Don José, embroiled in tragic seduction and jealousy. Pacific Lyric Association is bringing the production to the California Center for the Arts in Escondido this weekend, in three performances. "Carmen" is an "opera comique," which generally means the plot is progressed with both song and dialogue between songs, and PLA also uses narration of their own, in English, before major scenes to help explain what's going on. If opera intimidates you, this one might be your gateway.

Additional performances will take place next weekend, Oct. 21-23, at the Joan B. Kroc Theater.
—Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS

From the organizers:
Pacific Lyric Association (PLA) presents Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen from October 14-23, 2022. The performance will feature an exceptionally talented team of cast and artistic staff who will perform the opera comique that tells of the downfall of Don Jose, a naïve soldier seduced by the fiery gypsy, Carmen. PLA is donating 20% of the production’s proceeds to Ukrainian refugee families with children living in Poland.

PLA is an independent Southern California opera company that present fully staged operas with orchestra, accessibly priced to the general public. The signature format of PLA’s opera productions includes spoken narrative in English before each large scene. These narrative vignettes, performed by a professional actor, are designed to keep the audience engaged without being distracted by super titles.

Friday, October 14 – Sunday, October 16, 2022 | California Center for the Arts Escondido
340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, CA 92025

Friday, October 21 – October 23, 2022 | Joan B. Kroc Theater
6611 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92115

Related links:
Ticket information here.
Pacific Lyric Association on Instagram