[Met Tour] CID:165680



Carmen
Boston Opera House, Boston, Massachusetts, Wed, April 28, 1954 Matinee





Carmen (516)
Georges Bizet | Henri Meilhac/Ludovic Halévy
Carmen
Blanche Thebom

Don José
Richard Tucker

Micaela
Lucine Amara

Escamillo
George London

Frasquita
Heidi Krall

Mercédès
Margaret Roggero

Remendado
Alessio De Paolis

Dancaïre
George Cehanovsky

Zuniga
Osie Hawkins

Moralès
Clifford Harvuot

Dance
Janet Collins

Dance
Roland Vazquez


Conductor
Tibor Kozma







Review 1:

E.D.B.in the Boston Globe
Blanche Thebom a Superb Carmen

Now Boston’s opera-starved fans have another truly great Carmen to remember.


There were regrets when it was announced earlier this season that the “Incomparable” Rise Stevens would not be available for the role she has more or less made her own during the Met’s annual visits to Boston of recent years. Then it was announced that Fedora Barbieri would make her Boston debut in the role here. But when the curtain went up on the Opera House stage yesterday afternoon, it was black-wigged Blanche Thebom recreating the fickle Gypsy beauty who chose to live so dangerously.


Miss Thebom, long a favorite here in operas by Wagner, Mozart and Verdi, had never before performed this part in Boston. When the performance was over, the chief question seemed to be: “Why not?”


Miss Thebom left little to be desired. Physically, she seemed to be as well-endowed as any other singer who has attempted the part here in recent years – and not one whit less averse to displaying her assets, either. She needs no instruction from anyone current as to nuance of wringing every last bit of meaning out of every musical phrase, although she might have been just a mite more vehement and just nasty to luckless Don José in that dramatic final scene.


There some complaints last season that, with the exception of Miss Stevens in the title role, the then tiring Met had fielded something less that a varsity team for the Boston performance of “Carmen.” There could be no complaints on that score yesterday with “Old Reliable” Richard Tucker as Don José, Lucine Amara as Micaela, Heidi Krall as Frasquita and handsome young George London as Escamillo.


Mr. Tucker’s delivery of the Flower Song, and Miss Amara’s fine singing of Micaela’s third act aria were this performance’s chief show stoppers. But, of course, there were many more of major or minor degree in this most tuneful of operas.


Miss Krall, making her Boston debut, made the most of the comparatively fat part of Frasquita. Her powerful voice dominated the always delightful sextets and the thought undoubtedly occurred to many there that it would be nice to see this obviously talented lady assay the title role of Carmen in the not too far distant future.


George London is undoubtedly the most handsome Escamillo Boston has ever seen. His repeated curtain calls were the signal for whistles and loud squealing from the bobby-soxers who were, to judge from their volume, on hand in considerable force.


Margaret Roggero as Mercedes, Osie Hawkins as Zuniga, Clifford Harvout as Morales, George Cehanovsky as Dancaire, and Alessio de Paolis as Remendado were supporting singers, who contributed their full measure of musical and acting talents to an outstanding performance that will be happily remembered for a long time to come by all who saw it.


P. S. The Met still hangs on to that horrific fourth act set. It is so tattered and torn now that it will have be retired at the end of this season. But somebody said that last year, too, didn’t they?



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