Why is the “don” important? Because in Spain it indicates a high stratum of society. The novella is mostly told in the first person by Don José. LG: I find it always dangerous to approach great works of theatre (musical or not) in terms of “good guys” and “bad guys,” because instead of getting a complex story of multiple causalities, you end up with a police report or a pathological diagnosis. What’s your take on José and how do you view his relationship with Carmen? In many ways, he has been portrayed through a tragic lens, yet a more modern viewing would likely condemn him as an abuser. OW: One of the most challenging elements of this work is the depiction of Don José. What’s the story here? What happens to whom and why? And can you hear that in the music? And what is that world in which such things can happen? Is it anything like ours? Is this a cautionary tale? Will it be clear to the audience? Opera is theatre, so I always begin with the text. LG: Every opera has its own original “style.” It would be problematic to direct “Parsifal” under the same tenets of “Cavalleria,” for instance. OW: What is your approach to directing the opera and how do you hope that it reintroduces the work to audiences who experience it? Is it still valid? And can it bring new thought to those who watch and listen carefully and attentively? It is possible, just a little trickier, as falling into contemporary tropes isn’t an option for me.īut certain works endure because they retain something that speaks to peoples of other cultures and other times. They tend to be narratively inaccurate, and somehow put the audience in the somniferous trance of “I’ve seen this before.” I always want audiences to look at an old piece with new eyes and ears. LG: By carefully and intentionally trying to avoid all those. How did this impact your approach to directing the production? OW: A work this famous has a number of performance clichés and interpretations. Lillian Groag: It’s one of my first and favorite operas, and some of my happiest experiences in the field have taken place at Opera San José. OperaWire: What drew you to direct a new production of “Carmen?” The director spoke to OperaWire about taking on Bizet’s masterwork. 12, 2022, opera audiences in San José will get a chance to check out “Carmen” directed by Groag. She would also director with such companies as the New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, and Boston Lyric Opera, among many others.Īnd now starting on Feb. She entered the opera world in 1993 with a production of “Tosca” at Virginia Opera and subsequent renditions of “La Bohème” and the world premiere of Simón Bolivar,” both with the same company. where she would eventually make her way to the theater, first as an actor, and then as a director and playwright. Raised in both Argentina and Uruguay, Groag would eventually make her way to the U.S. She noted that she had a particular affinity for the character of Amneris in Verdi’s “Aida,” though she expressed that the attachment was inexplicable. “By 10 I knew the words of all the big 10 which I wailed around the house to the intense discomfort of family, friends and neighbors,” she told OperaWire in a recent interview. So it’s no surprise that by the time she was but five, she was already attending her first opera and falling in love with the art form. When she was a child, Lillian Groag’s family treated opera as if it were pop music.