17. ENTR’ACTECarmen, Don Jose
18. THE SMUGGLER’S CHORUSCarmen, Don Jose, Remendado, Dancairo, Frasquita, Mercedes, Chorus of Smugglers
NB. For this number please note that all entrances are from the back of the auditorium, down the side aisles and up on to the stage via the steps SR or SL.
Dancairo enters at the beginning of bar 5. Remendado enters at the beginning of bar 9, Roger M. enters at the beginning of bar 13, Clive enters at the beginning of bar 17. They form a huddle at the beginning of bar 21 (this moment is easily recognisable because there is a change in the melody) and then Roger M moves to the DSR corner and Clive moves to the DSL corner to call the rest of the men – (please note this is a change from original blocking).
Three bars before [A] the first group of Basses enter down the SR aisle. At [A] the second group of Basses enter down the SR aisle and the Tenors enter down the SL aisle. Please try and keep the timing of these entrances as I have set them - On Saturday it looked as though everyone just entered together and this undermines the sense of gradual build up that I want at the beginning of this scene.
The men sing the first section standing CS in a tight group. When the men begin singing Margaret and Dee enter and start preparing camp USL. Also at this point Sarah, Laura C and Hannah sneak on with a crate of bottles and tuck themselves into the DSR corner.
At [B] (‘Take care, Comrades take care! Take care, take care!) Carmen & Don Jose enter down the aisle SR; Mercedes and Frasquita enter down the aisle SL. The women of the chorus (who are divided into two groups) follow them on and arrange themselves equally spaced down each aisle forming a ‘human chain’.
In the four bars before [C], the men not involved in the sextet move to the corners DSR and DSL to superintend the passing of the crates up the aisles and on to the stage. Barry, David G., Clive, and Alan go to the DSL corner; Roger M., Malcolm, Steve, David M., Mel go the DSR corner.
At [C] (‘Risky our game, a risky game we play’) the women begin passing crates down the aisles - there will be approximately 4/5 crates to pass down each aisle. When they arrive on stage the crates will be piled up to form a stack in each corner – DSR and DSL.
When the sextet sings ‘In no fear of the guard who will wait till we come…’ the women begin to come on stage down the side aisles. This needs to happen quite quickly. All must be on stage before they begin singing ‘Take care, oh comrades all, take care’. Dee, Margaret, Hannah, Sarah, and Laura C rejoin their groups at this point.
The positions at [D] should be from SR to SL:
1st group of women SR, Basses, Sextet CS, Tenors, 2nd group of women SL
The most important thing about this number is how we create the sense of atmosphere. As you know this act takes place on a mountain at night. It is dangerous and desolate place. The smugglers need to show this through their bodies and movement.If even one person does not commit to this, it completely undermines the whole atmosphere.
dialogue: Dancairo, Remendado, Don Jose, Carmen
When Dancairo says ‘I advise you all to take shelter and get some rest. We’ll check the way ahead before we make a move’ the chorus move up close to the USL wall and stand/sit/lie in ‘rest’ positions.
The sextet remain CS until Remendado and Dancairo exit CSL; then Don Jose and Carmen continue with the dialogue in the DSR corner. Mercedes and Frasquita sit on the top step CS.
19. THE CARD TRIOMercedes, Frasquita, Carmen, (Don Jose)
During the introduction to the Card Trio, Don Jose and Carmen continue their disagreement USR sotto voce – this continues until ‘Come pretty cards, our fortune tell us…’. At this point Don Jose exits through the arch USC and Carmen moves slightly further DS to watch Frasquita and Mercedes.
Mercedes and Frasquita stay CS until ‘A Fortune!’ ‘Ah love!’ (page 214 in the scores) at this point they collect up their cards and move to the DSL corner, where they join Hannah, Laura C and Sarah.
Whilst this is happening Carmen moves to the DSR corner and kneels.
These positions remain the same for the rest of the number. In the last section Frasquita and Mercedes are reading cards for the young girls.
dialogue: Dancairo, Remendado, Don Jose, Carmen, Mercedes, Frasquita
At the beginning of the dialogue the sextet come together in a group CS. When Dancairo starts to tell Don Jose off at ‘Jose, you must give over bothering us with your jealousy…’ he brings him DSR away from the rest of the group.
After Dancairo’s line ‘If you see or hear anything you must shoot. Do you understand?’ Don Jose exits SR.
At Dancairo’s line ‘Let us go!’ the chorus stand up, the women come away from the wall USL, moving to USC.
20. THE SMUGGLER’S - ‘Passing the guard’Mercedes, Frasquita, Carmen, Dancairo, Remendado, The Smugglers
NB. The women in the chorus are divided in to two groups for this number. Group 1 is sops, Group 2 is mainly altos with a few sops thrown in (you should know who you are).
During the introduction to this number, Dancairo and Remendado move SR. Mercedes, Frasquita and Carmen come off the steps. Carmen is CS; Mercedes is slightly SL of Carmen, Frasquita is slightly SR of Carmen.
While Mercedes, Frasquita and Carmen sing ‘Passing the guard is our affair...’ Group 1(sops) move to the USR corner. Group 2 gather USL.
When the women begin singing ‘Passing the guard is their affair…’ Group 1 cross the stage diagonally from USR to DSL, passing in between Carmen and Mercedes. Group 2 cross the stage diagonally from USL to DSR passing in between Frasquita and Carmen. The walk should be confident and sassy.
The men of the Chorus (including Dancairo and Remendado) move CS, as that space becomes available when women move DS.
By [A] ‘If we are kind…’ group 1 should be in the DSL corner of the stage, group 2 should be in the DSR corner of the stage. The men of the chorus should be in a tight group CS. Frasquita, Carmen and Mercedes are DSC. When they sing their solo lines they take a few steps forward.
At [B] ‘Now is the time tricks to be trying…’ Frasquita, Carmen and Mercedes move closer together forming a huddle DSC. The smugglers prepare to leave.
As the women sing ‘Starts with a smile’ half of the group of sops on the far SL move forward. On ‘Or with a glass’ the second half of the sops move forward. On ‘So that the band surely must pass’ half of the altos move forward. On the second ‘So that the band surely must pass’ the rest of the altos move forward. As the women move forward they form a straight line single file across the whole length of the stage.
When everybody sings ‘For the guard is our/their affair’ for the last time, the women begin to ‘march’ on the spot – please note this is a change from the swaying we were doing originally. We will rehearse this on Thursday.
The marching ends at ‘March on! March on!
At the end of the singing, the smugglers march off stage through the CSL exit, taking all of the crates stacked SL with them. Don Jose appears in the window USR when the smugglers have all exited.
21. MICAELA’S ARIAMicaela
Micaela makes her way on to the stage down the SR aisle during the introduction. This number is performed DSC and DSR.
At the end of the singing Micaela kneels in prayer in the DSR corner. When he hears Escamillo approach Don Jose calls out ‘Who’s there?’ and Micaela hides behind the stack of crates in the DSR corner.
22. DON JOSE & ESCAMILLO DUETDon Jose, Escamillo, (Micaela)
23. ACT THREE FINALEDon Jose, Escamillo, Carmen, Micaela, Frasquita, Mercedes, Remendado, Dancairo, The Smugglers
As Carmen shouts ‘Hola! Hola! Jose’ she runs through the arch USC and holds back Jose DSC. Remendado and Dancairo follow Carmen on and cross the stage to DSC where they take each take one of Don Jose’s arms.
The Smuggler men follow Dancairo and Remendado on through the arch USC. David M comes round to take Don Jose’s arms so that Dancairo is free to move CS when he sings ‘That’s just as well spare us your fight!...’
The remaining male Chorus stay close to the USL wall.
When Escamillo begins singing ‘Ere I depart a word I would say…’ The female chorus slowly file on stage through the CSL entrance. Forming a diagonal block along the SL wall. All chorus should be on by Escamillo’s line ‘Those who love me will come…’
Before Escamillo leaves at [C] he kisses Carmen on the cheek. Escamillo exits down the SL aisle to the back of the auditorium. Carmen comes DSL to watch him leave.
Before he sings ‘Will you be warned Carmen, all too much have I borne!’ Jose breaks out of David M. and Remendado’s grip and crosses the stage; he takes Carmen by the shoulders facing the DSL corner (with his back to the rest of the stage).
As the chorus sing ‘Come on! Come on! We have to go!’ David M., Malcolm, Katy and Remendado move to the DSR corner to collect the remaining crates. When Remendado sings‘Halt someone’s behind there!’ Micaela tries to escape but is caught by Malcolm and David M. They bring her CS and then move back.
Don Jose comes to Micaela CS as he sings ‘Micaela!’. Carmen sits on the bottom step DSL. Positions stay like this until Carmen stands on ‘Yes you must go at once!’.
As Don Jose sings ‘So that you, while I am away, with your lover off may go? No Not I!’ he walks steadily toward Carmen backing her into the corner DSL.
On ‘Ah no! My last word is spoken!’ Don Jose grabs Carmen by the hair.
When Don Jose has sung‘Ah no, my last word is spoken! No, no, no, I will not go away!’ for the second time(after [H]), Remendado and Dancairo rush forward to divide Jose and Carmen and Micaela comes forward to take Jose’s arm. Micaela brings Jose back to CS before she sings ‘But one more word I pray you…’. Carmen remains on the floor DSL.
After ‘Be content I go, but we shall meet again’ there is a pause as Carmen and Don Jose look at each other, then Micaela takes Jose’s hand and they start to leave crossing from CS to the SR exit. They are just about to exit when Escamillo song is heard – All become still and look up to the back of the auditorium. Escamillo reappears at the back of the auditorium on the balcony SL to sing.
At the end of Escamillo’s singing he exits at the back of the auditorium. Micaela and Don Jose exit SR. The smugglers exit through the arch USC and SL (Katy, Malcolm and David and possibly a few others collect the remaining crates DSR). Carmen remains in the DSR corner until everyone has gone.
24. ENTR’ACTE
At the beginning of the Entr’acte Carmen runs off stage down the SL aisle after Escamillo.
25. COME AND BUYThe Chorus, Zuniga, Morales, Frasquita, Mercedes
For this number the chorus are divided into ‘sellers’ and ‘buyers’. Zuniga, Morales, Frasquita, Mercedes are part of the ‘buyers’ group. Each of the voice parts is divided into smaller sections – i.e. there are two sets of sopranos selling fans, two sets of altos selling oranges, etc.
Each of these smaller groups has a fixed position on the stage (you should know where this is). During the introduction all of the sellers run on in sequence and go to their position on the stage.
The buyers enter just before the first ‘Come and buy now!’. The buyers do not have a fixed position but keep moving between the sellers inspecting their wares. The buyers work in pairs or threes, and should try to be close to sellers of the same voice part when they sing. For example: Soprano buyers should approach the sopranos selling fans in time to sing ‘Fans that will keep the heat away’. The same applies to each part.
Each time the chorus sings together (‘Come and buy now! Come and buy now!…’) the heads and bodies of the sellers should face forward and you should sing directly to the audience (musical theatre style).
Zuniga and Frasquita come DSC for ‘Bring me oranges quick’ . Two orange sellers (Laura C and Margaret) approach Zuniga offering oranges. Zuniga chooses the oranges offered by Margaret. Pat B takes a few steps toward Zuniga to sing ‘But thanks…’
At ‘Hola! Bring here some fans!’ Hannah comes forward to Zuniga and Frasquita offering fans. While frasquita chooses her fan, Mel approaches Zuniga for ‘Noble senor, buy a lorgnette!’
For the last section ‘Come and buy now!’ heads and bodiesof the sellers face forward. All sing to the audience.
After the singing ends Katy and India come off stage to change costume. At the end of this number there is an instrumental section approximately 20 seconds long. In these 20 seconds one seller from each group has to take their basket of goods off stage. The rest of the chorus keep moving about as in a busy market place.
26. PROCESSION TO THE BULLRINGThe Chorus, Dancers (India & Katy), Zuniga, Morales, Frasquita, Mercedes, Escamillo, Carmen
As each part sings its first line they move from where they are to their ‘procession’ positions across the front of the stage. The ‘procession’ positions should be from SR to SL: Altos, Basses, ‘Boys’, [gap], Tenors, Sopranos.
Please Note: India and Katy will be dancing on the top step CS; because of this it is very important that there is a gap between the ‘Boys’ and the tenors – otherwise the audience will not be able to see them!
As the chorus sing the section that begins ‘Here they are! Here comes the quadrilla, the quadrilla of toreros!... ’
they move their eyes and bodies from SR to SL as though they were watching a procession moving across the back of the auditorium.
For the instrumental section the chorus remain frozen. Katy and India Dance CS.
As the chorus sing the section that begins ‘There you see him head the procession, marching at a funeral pace.’
they move their eyes and bodies from SR to SL as above.
For the instrumental section the chorus remain frozen. Katy and India Dance CS.
As the chorus sing the section that begins ‘Give a hearty cheer for the Chulos, cheer them for all their courage fine!’ they move their eyes and bodies from SR to SL as above.
As the chorus sing the section that begins ‘Here come the banderilleros! You see the swagger of their bearing’ they move their eyes and bodies from SR to SL as above.
For the instrumental section the chorus remain frozen. Katy and India Dance CS.
For the section beginning ‘Another quadrilla advances…’ all of the chorus look to the back of the auditorium SR.
Katy and India exit to become part of Escamillo’s quadrilla.
Escamillo enters from the back of the auditorium SR on the final ‘Escamillo!’ before [G]. Carmen enters at the same point from the back of the auditorium SL.
When Escamillo enters, the chorus watch him as he moves down the aisle through the auditorium and on to the stage.
Carmen and Escamillo make their way down the aisles and on to the stage as the chorus sing. They move CS for ‘If you love me Carmen…’
At ‘Room, room, room for the senor alcalde!... Carmen, Escamillo and the Chorus step back to allow Barry to move into the bullring first.
Barry and Escamillo enter the bullring (USC area) first. Then the rest of the Chorus follow.
27. DUET and FINALECarmen, Don Jose, The Chorus, Zuniga, Morales, Frasquita, Mercedes, Escamillo.