‘Carmen’ impresses crowd at Pfleeger Hall

Outstanding performances lit up the Pfleeger Concert stage on opening night of the Rowan Opera Company’s “Carmen.”

Opening night started off by honoring Marie Rader, who recently passed away, in an intimate ceremony before the show. Her contributions to the arts at Rowan were commemorated. The Marie F. Rader Fund was established, which will use proceeds to help the arts flourish by adding a center. Virginia “Ginny” Smith, a former Board of Trustees member, matched a $29,000 fund raising figure, bringing the total amount to $58,000.

The plot line of the opera was not a redeeming factor of the performance. While it had ample twists and turns, I left wanting to never date again and feeling like the word “love” had never been so freely abused.

The story is of lust, not love.

It is centered on a passionate and attractive gypsy that lures men in only to soon dispose of them. Love is never an actual factor, yet is said often. After only giving lead actor Don Jose a flower, she tells him he loves her, and he soon agrees to love her with the promise of the feeling being mutual.

Despite a bothersome storyline, the performance was excellent. Micaela was the first female character to hit the stage. Played by Kasey King, a junior vocal performance major, she set the bar high on performance level. Using the classic opera vibrato, the vocals filled Pfleeger Hall.

On opening night, Carmen was played by Kathleen Deffley, a junior vocal performance major. She took the stage with her powerful vocals, making the performance feel more like a professional opera than a student performance. Deffley sang classic songs even non-opera fans would recognize and made the performance her own.

The male lead Don Jose was played by Steven McMahon, a junior music education major. The character went through an array of emotions, all of which were expressed vividly through vocals and body language. From his beginning scenes of displaying honor for his military position, to the end where his passion overtook him, McMahon stayed in character and gave a good performance in the emotional scenes.

John Baccaro, a junior music education major, did not have as many scenes, but his character, Escamillo, stole the stage as one of Carmen’s many loves. He was a bullfighter with a large ego and plenty of self confidence. Baccaro’s use of vocals and charisma set his character apart from the male lead, Don Jose.

The University of Delaware children’s choir also had a part in the play. The children were both adorable and talented in their dance and song number. They marched along to the song and added to the overall performance. Students from West Deptford High School also took the stage as dancers. The four dancers from the high school, Brittni Matlack, Leta Walton, Jordan Stebich and Sunghyun Ahn all gave great performances. The movements added intensity to the songs and were visually appealing for the audience.

The rest of the cast gave great performances. The songs were performed with strong vocal performances. More impressively, all actors stayed in character in even the most minor moments. No matter where my eye went on the stage, every facial expression and all body language conveyed the position they were in during the scene.

Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. are the last two performances will take place. The program is free for Rowan students if they show their student identification cards. For seniors, non-Rowan students, alumni and staff members, entrance is $5. General admission is $10.