9 November 7-13, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | Culture | Cafe | MusiC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Bizet Signal Faena Theater transforms Carmen into a modern cabaret show. BY CAROLINA DEL BUSTO R ich red velvet curtains are pushed to the side, and bright red doors welcome guests inside. Inside Faena Miami Beach’s the- ater, the red theme continues. A sprawling chandelier takes up most of the ceiling, with its crystals drenched in red lighting. There’s no denying that Faena prac- tically defines extravagant elegance. The Faena Theater is the lovechild of de- veloper and hotelier Alan Faena and film di- rector Baz Luhrmann. It opened in 2016, with cabaret performances taking residence for months at a time. The 150-seat venue is shrouded in red as part of the theme for their latest production, a sexy retelling of Georges Bizet’s Carmen. Inspired by the 1875 story of Don José and his affair with a gypsy, this ver- sion tells the story through dance and mod- ern love songs. Alan is heavily involved in all the productions that make it onto his stage. He pushes his team with each production and en- courages them to evolve. Brian Forti, executive producer and director of creative entertainment for the theater, tells New Times how Alan always had a vision for the venue, making producing shows like Carmen exciting and rewarding. “Alan envisioned something totally differ- ent in South Florida, especially in Miami Beach,” Forti says. “The theater was designed similarly to a European opera house. He wanted it to be very elegant, with the best equipment, and to be an intimate space so that the guests and the audiences would ex- perience something truly unique. In the case of Carmen, we really wanted to do something that was very Faena, meaning very artistic and beautiful.” Carmen opened in September and is slated to run through the summer of 2025. “Carmen is a story; it’s a flow. This is the first time we’ve actually produced a show like this,” Forti adds. “It was inspired by Alan be- cause this is something Alan wanted to do. He wanted that artistic storytelling as a part of a show, and though it was a challenge, we rose to the occasion and delivered something special.” Forti adds that part of the production pro- cess entails staying true to Alan Faena’s vision “and with the idea of immersing the audience completely into the show. It’s not just on stage; it’s all around you. And that’s the beauty of the experience at the Faena Theater.” The Faena team partnered with produc- tion company Quixotic to put on the jaw- dropping spectacle, with the team behind the theater’s previous production, Allura, return- ing for Carmen. “Where Allura was built around the theme of disco, Carmen is more of a proper story,” says Anthony Magliano, Quixotic founder, executive creative director, and concept art- ist. “I thought it was the right time to present something like this. We wanted to change it up and do something where the guests that came to Allura are going to love this show just as much for different reasons.” The stage is set in two parts: the main stage and a circular, snail-like stage in the center of the room. All the tables and chairs surround the extension. Dancers spill out into the dining area, enveloping audiences in the production. The dancers are electrifying, with their bodies moving sensually to the music. If you notice the natural chemistry between the ac- tors portraying Don José (Juan Carlos Nicot) and Carmen (Leidi Leonard), that’s because the pair are married in real life. “What I try to do with the casting is make it a hybrid of people who are local Miami artists, but also people that I bring in from other places. It’s kind of that balance of new but also familiar faces,” Magliano explains. He reveals that Nicot auditioned for the Faena Theater’s previous show, but the role of Don José was quite literally made for him. After meeting the real-life couple, Magliano was fueled with passion to put on a contem- porary cabaret adaptation of Carmen. “The chemistry that they have, that’s what inspired me to want to do Carmen and find a theater to produce it,” he adds. There’s flamenco, pole dancing, aerial ac- robatics, a dance number with giant hats, and even a cage dance. Carmen is an experience to be seen and felt. The show’s music nods to Georges Bizet’s original opera, but the team at Faena decided to take a liberal approach by incorporating contemporary tunes — think Adele with more vibrato. Live musical performances by Span- ish singers and vocalists Bita and Mimi Bar- ber are part of the entertainment. “We wanted to make sure our version of Carmen was nothing like you’d see in a per- forming arts center,” Magliano says. “There are so many different ways to tell the story of Carmen. In the finer theater experience, with the music and the talent, we only have 90 minutes to tell this whole story and get peo- ple to feel something, and we did that.” “It’s an experience that you want to take your date or your wife and celebrate an anni- versary,” Forti adds. “Whatever it is, the Faena Theater is different, and it’s unique and it’s amazing.” Carmen. 8 p.m. Open-ended run. Thursday and Friday and 8 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, at Faena Theater, 3201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 786-655-5742; faena.com. Tickets cost $100 to $300 via exploretock.com. [email protected] ▼ Culture Prepare for an immersive experience like no other at the Faena Theater. Faena Miami Beach photos “WHERE ALLURA WAS BUILT AROUND THE THEME OF DISCO, CARMEN IS MORE OF A PROPER STORY.”
