Arrival of Carmen in the arena of Seville
The Royal Andalousian School
For was it not on horseback that Carmen crossed Andalusia, from Ronda to Malaga, from Seville to Cordoba, with Garcia le borgne’s group of “Bandoleros” smugglers
… then there’s Don José Lizarrabengoa, the cavalry regiment corporal, and Lucas the Picador from Seville: the horse was the one and only way to tie together the many threads of this story, if only because at that time it was the only means of transportation.
Through old documents and a variety of research endeavours in Seville, Ronda, and Cordoba, my intention has been to recreate this period, to highlight the clear yet often overlooked reasons for which these many elements have come together to turn this story of a tormented Spain into what we now know as the Legend of Carmen! Horses, Flamenco, Love, Suffering, and Tragedy… the legend of the humble”.
Michel Liabeuf
This deserved and well-earned Andalusian pride has risen up from the pain and suffering of centuries gone by. Still deeply rooted in their customs and traditions, passion is second nature to the people of this region. Expressed in Flamenco dances and songs of love, in their respect for the Mother and their unbridled emotions, and in threats and curses, blood until tragedy, and fatality until death: lamenting expressions of feeling which pour forth into the night sky from the “cantante” cafes of the Triana neighbourhood of Seville.
The Legend of Carmen
Based on the novel by Prosper Merimee in four acts.
Adaptation and Original Staging by Michel Liabeuf
As for many men, I imagine, Carmen was without a doubt the first woman with whom I fell in love. Beautiful, sensual and provocative, free and independent, committed to the very end, passionate until death, she fought for freedom; a fight which continues for women around the world to this very day.
The Fundación REAAE and Cheval en Scène Prod present
Texts and citations Michel LIABEUF ©
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