Trailer trash Carmen (From The Northern Echo)

Trailer trash Carmen

12:45pm Thursday 10th February 2011 in Theatre Column

Viv Hardwick talks to Heather Shipp about bringing Carmen to life as a US trailer park rebel.

CARMEN is a role which intimidates singers, admits Heather Shipp, who has the double challenge of portraying Bizet’s famous fiery sexpot for Opera North in Seville… a trailer park in Ohio, USA.

“I think it’s tough because it is so popular and many people have firm ideas about what Carmen is like. So there’s this massive archetype created of this powerful, strong, sexy femme fatale,” says Shipp of her highly-anticipated performance at Newcastle Theatre Royal next week. “When I’ve played the role before and been forced into coming up with that portrayal, it’s rather two-dimensional. I did an audition for the director Daniel Kramer (who is in charge of Opera North’s touring show) about three years ago and didn’t get it. But I sang Carmen for him then and he told me that when he staged Carmen he’d like me to take the role because we had similar ideas.

“We both felt there had to be an interesting story to make Carmen behave the way she does. Why she shocks and intimidates people.

It’s been fantastic really, looking into it.

“Carmen is in an abusive relationship when the opera starts. It’s set in a small, stifling town and we decided that she’s a product of a broken home with an absent father and alcoholic mother, who has boyfriends passing in and out of her life. So she’s created this persona to protect herself and behaves in a rebellious way. I think it’s this human side of her that’s been missing before,” explains Shipp.

Even so, Carmen still works in the cigarette factory with the amusing fact that the set features a No Smoking sign. “Some of the women in the factory have got nicotine patches on and, of course, Carmen comes on smoking a cigarette and flouts the rules immediately,” adds the singer who has had a cigarette in her time, but admits that making her entrance smoking is a bit risky.

“I have to go straight into the Habanera and I have to remind myself not to inhale because the first time we did it, I was in real trouble. It was Daniel’s idea at the last minute saying ‘Of course, Carmen has to come on smoking a cigarette’.

I was offered a herbal, but I thought that was even worse,” she laughs.

Shipp doesn’t agree that Opera North is playing safer with its seasons, which this time features The Merry Widow and the British premiere of Weinberg’s The Portrait. “I’ve done a few seasons with them now and it’s been very interesting repertoire. This is the first standard role I’ve done. Ten years of not doing Carmen is too long and there’s no way, in this production, that Opera North is playing it safe,”

she says.

Shipp reveals that Kramer used his own personal history to stage the latest version of Carmen, using the town next to where he grew up in Ohio. “I think his first idea was considered too close to a previous Opera North version, so he had to go away and completely re-think and he said he had a blinding flash and set it in a town called Seville in the US. It provides the perfect setting,” she adds.

Her other problem is bruising she’s suffering to arms and legs as a result of Carmen being chucked about the stage.

“I get a new set after each performance. I’ve got some on my shins this time and I couldn’t work out how I got them because I don’t feel I’m getting them at the time. But when I come off and the next day I’m thinking ‘where did those come from?’. But Carmen does get thrown around quite a bit,” says Shipp, who reveals that both she and her male co-stars, Keel Watson (Zuniga), Peter Auty (Don Jose) and Kostas Smoriginas (Escamillo), took a while to adjust to the stage action.

“Both me and the men were shocked, but it’s not remotely gratuitous. It’s totally appropriate and how it would happen and all builds up to this environment that Carmen is desperate to get away from,” Shipp says.

US mezzo soprano Sandra Piques Eddy takes over as Carmen from April and Shipp admits that she’ll pass over the role with great regret.

“That’s because Daniel and I have created the role around me. I won’t look forward to handing it over,” says the singer who is set to reprise her role as Mad Margaret in Opera North’s highly successful revival of Ruddigore.

* Carmen runs Tuesday, next Thursday and Sat, 7pm. The Merry Widow, Weds, 7.30pm.

The Portrait, next Fri, 7.30pm. Tickets: £15- £56. Box Office: 08448-112-121 theatreroyal.co.uk