Opera Review: Carmen – Glam Adelaide

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Vibrant, beautiful, heartbreaking — a stunning new production of one of the most memorable operas of all time

Presented by: State Opera South Australia
Reviewed: 17 October 2026

Georges Bizet’s Carmen lives on as one of the most memorable operas of all time, and for good reason. The score is lush and evocative, with memorable tunes that have spread beyond the music scene to rise to fame in pop culture, and the story and characters have such humanity to them that it remains easy to find relevance 150 years after it was written. State Opera South Australia’s new staging, under the direction of Laura Hansford, is visually stunning, musically excellent, and brings a contemporary sensibility to the themes.

State Opera South Australia’s decision to appoint a woman to direct Carmen is a sensible one. Laura Hansford’s direction places emphasis on a woman’s experience in a man’s world, with Carmen’s flirtations less that of a ‘loose woman’ and more that of a woman using the gifts she’s been given to survive. The undercurrent of women supporting women (through Carmen’s interactions with her friends Frasquita and Mercedes, as well as her compassionate reaction to Micaëla’s presence in Act III) adds to this, giving all the female characters strength and contrasting with the lustful attentions of the soldiers. This emphasis on character is supported by the visual appearance of the production, with crowd scenes carefully placed to look purposeful and not overly crowded, and a strong use of silhouette supported by the set and lighting.

In the title role, Charlotte Kelso commands attention whenever she is on stage. She brings a wonderful swagger to the role of Carmen, and she sings with emotion and a strong connection to the lyric. Habanera and her duet with Don José at the end of Act II were particularly memorable. Desiree Frahn was simply beautiful as Micaëla, bringing a gentler strength to the role in contrast to Carmen, and her solo ‘Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante’ was a standout. Gerard Schneider’s soaring tenor voice is perfect for Don José, and he brought a strong presence to the role, though there were moments when he seemed to lose connection with the character, particularly in Act IV in his final confrontation with Carmen, where he stood and sang straight out to the audience despite the lyrics suggesting there should be a more physical altercation. Samuel Dale Johnson brought a lively energy to the passionate bullfighter Escamillo. The Toreador song was definitely a crowd favourite.

These roles were supported by Cathy-Di Zhang as Frasquita and Fiona McArdle as Mercedes, John Longmuir as Remendaro, Nicholas Lester as Dancaire/Morales and Andrew Williams as Zuniga, as well as the State Opera Chorus. All brought a sense of authenticity to their roles, along with world class vocals.

The set and costumes, designed by Alisa Paterson, were absolutely gorgeous. Both have been created mostly from recycled materials in State Opera South Australia’s new commitment to sustainability, and this production is proof that ‘recycled’ does not need to mean tired or worn out. On the contrary, everything looked fresh and intentional for this production. The use of perspective in the angles of the buildings created a striking silhouette against the back lighting, while a single tree covered in pink blossoms created a focal point around which a lot of the action was framed. A particularly effective element was the petals that fell from the ceiling whenever a destructive choice was made, from a few petals falling at Don José’s decision to kill Zuniga, to them raining down towards the end of the opera. The costumes created a colour palette that complemented the set effectively, and Carmen’s off-the-shoulder costumes were particularly striking. 

Playing the iconic score of Carmen was the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of State Opera South Australia’s Artistic Director Dane Lam. As always, the ASO sets the bar for professional orchestras, bringing flair to the score and balancing well against the vocals.

Carmen (both the opera and the character) is beautiful, vibrant, and heartbreaking. It is an opera that is very accessible to those new to the art form, with memorable music and a relatable plot. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves opera or who might want to try it out for the first time.

Reviewed by Kristin Stefanoff

Photo credit: Andrew Beveridge