Brittany Morgan will play the title role in New Jersey Lyric Opera’s production of “Carmen.”
Theatrical grandeur and emotive music will take center stage at the Summer Opera Festival at the Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, Aug. 7-10. New Jersey Lyric Opera will pull from its repertoire of enduring classics with two popular touchstones of 19th century opera, Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” and Giacomo Puccini’s “La bohème.”
The opera repertory company, led by founder John Calkins, produces fully staged, traditional productions that target the broad appetites of opera-goers.
“Opera is kind of a niche art form, so we’re trying to branch out with programming by choosing operas that connect the dots to other popular art forms,” Calkins says. “Our aim is to popularize this art form in a more mainstream capacity, and in a more relevant way. There might be slightly different ideas on things you traditionally see, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary.”
The formula seems to be working. “People have been very positive, excited and surprised,” Calkins says. “We noticed — especially after our second summer season, last year — that people already wanted to reserve tickets for this year’s festival.”
The third edition will open in a big, bold way with the sun-drenched Sevillian scenes of “Carmen,” Aug. 7-8. The production will mark a company premiere, which Calkins finds both exciting and challenging.
“This is a new undertaking for us as the first-ever mounting of a production within Kelsey Theatre,” he says. “We’re creating a show from start to finish with a new cast, and in a new technical space, and we’re really excited to bring it to life.”
Bizet’s opéra comique from 1875 pulses with Spanish-inspired rhythms, vivid orchestration and dramatic contrasts that make it one of the most exhilarating and frequently performed operas in the canon. The seductive Carmen captures the attention of Don José, a dutiful soldier. He abandons his post and his childhood sweetheart, Micaëla, to be with her. When Carmen’s affections shift to the glamorous toreador Escamillo, Don José falls into a jealous rage and murders her outside the bullring.
JOHN CALKINS
The French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy is based on the 1845 novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée. Calkins says that after reading Mérimée’s source material, “I was struck by some of the elements that didn’t make it into Bizet’s adaptation, and I’m hoping to bring those moments to life.”
Mérimée’s “Carmen” has a darker, more fatalistic tone and is more grounded in realism. Bizet’s opera, while still tragic, heightens the romantic and theatrical elements and makes the story more dramatically compelling. Calkins aims to strike a balance between the two versions and create a stage-worthy production that is visceral and emotionally explosive.
Traditional staging will draw on 19th-century romanticized depictions of Spain. Naturalistic scenography and vibrant costumes will evoke the setting’s rustic flavor.
Carmen is one of Calkins’ favorite femme fatales of opera. Her magnetic “Habanera,” a sultry and teasing song in which she seduces Don José, is one of opera’s most iconic arias.
“She’s an unstoppable heroine,” Calkins says. “She possesses these two different forces in her life: Don José with his love and lust, and then she’s having this self-fulfilling prophecy where she knows her ultimate fate. She wants it to happen, but at the same time, she embodies this free spirit, rebellious lifestyle, which is appealing to the audience.”
Lyric mezzo-soprano Brittany Morgan will sing the role. “She started out as a Rossini mezzo but her voice has really warmed up and become larger,” Calkins says.
Tenor Chris Lorge will sing Don José, the corporal whose inner conflict between duty and desire leads to his tragic downfall. “Chris has sung this role many times and he has a thrilling voice,” Calkins says.
Both productions will be double cast to give performers maximum stage time. Other singers, many of whom are returning from the young artist program, will perform in solos, in cover roles and in the chorus ensembles.
The gentle and virtuous maiden Micaëla will be sung alternately by two powerhouse sopranos: Stacey Canterbury Climie (who sang the title role of “Tosca” at last year’s festival) and Sarah Joseph (in a role debut). Calkins describes Joseph as “an intuitive performer with a very warm and wonderful voice onstage.”
The confident and flamboyant Escamillo, a celebrity bullfighter who handles danger and love with complete ease, will be sung by bass Timothy Kjer. He will have the opportunity to showcase the rousing and famous “Toreador Song,” an electrifying anthem of bravado.
Moving from an exciting company premiere to a comforting evergreen … “La bohème,” Aug. 9-10, has been performed many times in NJLO’s five-year history. “It’s an enchanting favorite and we love all of the magic behind it,” Calkins says.
“Bohème” holds a place of special significance for the company. It launched in 2019 with an abridged version, but after four performances, the pandemic hit and the company took a pause.
Puccini’s 1896 tale of love, loss and friendship is not only a famous opera, but has achieved fame beyond the operatic sphere through “Rent,” the rock musical that is based on it.
The libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa is set in Paris around 1830. The story follows two young bohemian lovers, Rodolfo and Mimì, and their tight-knit group of struggling artist friends. While Rodolfo and Mimì’s relationship becomes strained by illness and hardship, Marcello and Musetta begin a tempestuous romance. As Mimì’s health declines, she and Rodolfo share a tender reunion before she dies.
FRANCHESCA SOLIS
The gentle and pure-hearted seamstress Mimì will be sung alternately by Sarah Joseph and Franchesca Solis. The role of the passionate poet Rodolfo will be split among tenors Chris Lorge and Carl Hengen. The latter is a newcomer who, Calkins says, “has a younger and dramatic voice, which is a really exciting sound.”
The first act centers around Mimì and Rodolfo’s introduction and features the stunning, famous arias “Che gelida manina” and “Mi chiamano Mimì,” followed by the soaring duet, “O soave fanciulla.”
Scenography will lean heavily into realism and nostalgia to evoke the story’s romanticized yet gritty atmosphere of the historic Latin Quarter. This will include a special effect created by Calkins. “If I can say anything, come to see the moon in the first act because it looks so realistic, like what you’d see outside, and it is not overblown like you see in other productions,” he says. The production will also feature a children’s chorus.
The flirty and theatrical singer Musetta will be sung by soprano Mary Burke Barber, in a role debut. Musetta makes her showstopping entrance during the bustling Café Momus scene of Act II with “Quando me’n vo’,” setting off sparks with the lively and loyal painter, Marcello, who will be sung by Chaka Allan.
Allan has sung previously with the company in “Tosca” (as Scarpia), in “La Traviata” (as Germont) and in “The Barber of Seville” (as the title character). “He’s a crowd favorite and a staple with our company,” Calkins says. “He has a gorgeous, high Verdi lyric baritone, which is a perfect match for Marcello.”
JOHN PAUL DURAZZO
Musetta’s wealthy, older admirer Alcindoro will be sung by John Paul Durazzo, who also performs in off-Broadway productions. “He’s a versatile actor with a big stage presence,” Calkins says. “We’re glad to have him back with us.”
Additional bohemians include the musician Schaunard, who will be sung by two baritones: Moses Possible, who attended MCC and is a Rowan University alumnus; and Max Brey, a graduate student at Westminster Choir College. The philosopher Colline will be sung by bass-baritones Jason Adamo and Timothy Kjer.
Calkins is a lyric tenor who often sings in his company’s productions in addition to regular appearances with opera companies across the country. The last Rodolfo he sang was in 2023 at The Surflight Theatre on Long Beach Island.
He decided to sit out this year’s festival, but will be watching from the wings to cover any ailing tenors. “I am purely taking a directorial/producer-type seat for this year’s festival,” he says. “I’m teaching around the clock this summer, so I thought it was the smartest thing.”
In addition to running NJLO, Calkins became director of music at Ogden Memorial Presbyterian Church in Chatham in 2021. He also gives private lessons in voice and piano.
When we last spoke in Fall 2023, one of his top priorities was to scale up the company, and he has achieved some growth. “We’re expanding,” he says. “But we’re focused on doing it at a healthy rate.”
In March, the company expanded its reach into Atlantic County with a production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” at the Dante Hall Theater in Atlantic City. “We had a lighting designer and a full cast, and a full house for that space,” Calkins says. “It was a great time for everyone.”
Also around the same period, he performed in six different opera productions. “It’s all been a wonderful blur!”
John Calkins as Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly.”
Kelsey Theatre’s Summer Opera Festival was inaugurated in 2023 with Verdi’s “La Traviata” and Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” presented by NJLO, while another opera company, Operallora, closed it out with a Puccini double bill. Calkins’ company was invited back for the 2024 edition with Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” Puccini’s “Tosca” and Gaetano Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore.”
Kelsey Theatre at MCCC is home to a modern dance ensemble, a symphonic band and 12 resident and semi-professional theater companies. “They have a good amount of theater companies vying for spots to perform productions throughout the year,” Calkins says. “They took a chance on us two years ago, and I like to say it has been very rewarding.”
This year’s opera festival will also include a gala concert, Aug. 9, of popular arias, duets and choruses performed against cinematic imagery referencing the songs.
“The gala is one of my favorite programs,” Calkins says. “It’s a bit of a novelty because it’s like going to the movies while having a live performance.”
The show will feature crowd-pleasers from previous editions of the gala, including the “Commendatore Scene” from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” the “Bell Song” from Léo Delibes’ “Lakmé” and the Queen of the Night aria (“Der Hölle Rache”) from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” New selections will include Lenski’s aria from Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” the final trio from Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier,” and a couple of arias from Leonard Bernstein’s operetta “Candide.”
New Jersey Lyric Opera will present “Carmen” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7-8 and “La bohème” at 2 p.m. Aug. 9-10 at The Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor. There also will be a gala concert at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9. Visit kelsey.mccc.edu or njlyricopera.com.
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