Carmen the Cabaret is a re-framing of Carmen the opera. It repositions Carmen as the subject rather than the object of her own story, allowing her to reveal truths about domestic violence and victim blaming that are embedded in the tale but hidden in plain sight – truths that resonate with all audiences, whether they are familiar with Carmen or not.
I conceived of a cabaret about Carmen after having the chance to perform the role with Opera Bites, who democratise and make opera accessible to everyone – by playing in venues like pubs, singing in English and condensing convoluted plots into digestible 90 minute shows.
Performing Carmen, I fell in love with her. She is funny, unapologetically herself and undeniably attractive. She likes sex, and has no self-loathing or regrets about her sexuality – a concept risqué when the opera was written in 1875, but which still feels radical in 2023.
But the framing of Carmen the opera, no matter how democratised it is, no matter what we do to make Carmen sympathetic, no matter how well we sing her, leads inexorably to her death at the hands of her possessive ex-lover, and her characterisation as a ‘femme fatale’, with many audiences blaming her for the ‘downfall’ of her lover, Don Jose. “She led him on and then dumped him, so she deserves to die.”
But why is she a ‘fatal woman’ when she’s the one who ends up dying?
So, teaming up with my conspirator in chief, Daryl Wallis, and our friend and mentor, opera star Ghillian Sullivan, I created Carmen the Cabaret.
We’ve performed at the Adelaide Fringe, Smiths Alternative (Canberra), The Harold (Sydney), Newcastle Fringe (where we won an award for BEST ARTISTIC MERIT) and the Robbie Burns Hotel (Wyndham).
Our next show is at Bondi Pavilion Theatre (where I did my first ever cabaret, Disenchanted, back in 2018), on Wednesday April 2. Bondi Pavilion Theatre is very close to my heart, as not only is it my my home turf, it’s also where so many amazing artists have launched their careers.
So book your tickets now! Only 200 seats available, and it will be a totally joyous evening. https://www.bondipavilion.com.au/whats_on/event/carmen_the_cabaret
“Hysterically funny, get wrenchingly emotional and forensically analytical.” (audience member)
Creators
Daryl Wallis and Eliane Morel, award-winning creative team behind ‘Disenchanted: A Cabaret of Twisted Fairy Tales’, have once again collaborated, with international opera star Ghillian Sullivan, to produce an entertaining, thought-provoking, musically brilliant show.
Why Carmen the Cabaret?
I conceived of Carmen when, after having played her and fallen in love with her character, I realised that the framing of her story is one where she is blamed for her own death at the hand of her ex-lover. I asked the question: if a femme is so fatale, why is she the one who ends up dying?
Performances to date
We’ve performed Carmen the Cabaret at the Adelaide Fringe, Newcastle and at The Harold in Sydney and at Smith’s Alternative Bookshop in Canberra. Our next show is at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre on Wednesday April 2, 2025
Eliane Morel 