CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Opera closes its 2026 summer festival with one of the most popular operas in the world, "Carmen," at Music Hall.
The production stars mezzo-soprano J'nai Bridges in the title role and tenor Matthew White as Don Jose. The opera opens Saturday, July 25, and tickets are available at CincinnatiOpera.org.
Bridges said this is her 17th production of "Carmen."
"Every time I play the role I find just kind of more there's more to discover and why she's the way she is, especially when you have new co-stars, so Matthew has been really amazing to just kind of find some different colors to her," Bridges said.
She described the character as fiercely independent.
"Carmen is probably the most independent free character in my opinion in all of opera, she does not like to be told what to do, but she's very fun in a way she's passionate," Bridges said.
White described his character, Don Jose, in darker terms.
"He is a sad twisted individual, he tends to have too much want in the world and not enough achievement. He has a terrible history of doing bad things and he can't seem to stop the cycle. He falls in love very deeply, and he, but it's almost obsessive, and Carmen has the perfect little knife to keep twisting into his side that essentially turns him into this downward spiral of a crazy man," White said.
The production is set in 1950s Havana, giving it a distinctive visual style.
"The costuming is very fresh and it's modern. We're set in 1950s Havana, so you have that very kind of flamboyant feel to it as well. The colors are very vibrant as well," Bridges said.
The story centers on a love triangle involving Carmen, Don Jose, and the Toreador, played by Ryan McKinney.
"Carmen, it's the saying is that she finds a new lover every couple months, and unfortunately I'm on the earlier side of those months. So throughout the opera she finds our lovely colleague Ryan McKinney is singing the Toreador, and he's the superstar of the show essentially so she easily falls for him and that really makes me upset," White said.
Bridges said the themes of the opera are part of why it remains one of the most performed works in the world.
"'Carmen' is still performed as one of the world's most popular operas because of the themes that are very much everyday people ever present and so unfortunately I love triangle. I think you know people are interested in because it's exciting it's also just like what's gonna happen next," Bridges said.
The music is among the most recognizable in all of opera, including the Habanera and the Toreador song.
"I think you'd hear it in Looney Tunes back in the day or anything. It's been the, you'd hear it in commercials. The tunes are very, very much in pop culture still," White said.
Both performers pointed to the final scene as a highlight audiences should not miss.
"The final scene is just iconic and it has you kind of on the edge of your seat, but I think just in general come out to the opera. This is an amazing production and a beautiful cast," Bridges said.
Bridges and White also noted "Carmen" is a strong choice for first-time opera audiences.
Tickets and information are available at CincinnatiOpera.org.
This segment aired on CINCY LIFESTYLE and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI.
