possession

Opera hot take: My favorite opera of all time is Carmen (basic, I know, but the show is a banger and I am a mezzo, sue me). And I absolutely hate when directors make Carmen into this sexual, seductive, femme fatale type practically doing a strip tease on stage (not hate to strip teases BUT). It doesn't actually fit the text at all! The woman has *checks notes* two boyfriends over the course of several months. Not even at the same time. She dumps the shitty, controlling one for the hotter, cooler guy in no uncertain terms. Yeah, she flirts with people as a distraction but she's not doing that at her legal job. When she sings the Habanera (which directors love to turn into a sexy seduction anthem when...it isn't). We never actually see her professional flirting. I guess she "seduces" Jose to get out of prison, but she's not offering merely herself she's offering freedom and a different kind of life.

Carmen is attractive and sexy because she is confident and self-assured, not because she has nice legs. Stop male-gazing one of the coolest heroines in opera!

Also if anybody tries to say Don Jose is the main character of the opera you are legally allowed to punch them.

also i love that approximately ten minutes after carmen's entire number about how "si je t'aime prends garde à toi" josé is just like

giving escamillo the highest honor i can bestow (genderweird lesbo)

CARMEN - The Royal Opera House, 2006

FRANCO CORELLI as Don José in BIZET's *Carmen*

This is an important question, because the answer plays a big role in deciding whether Carmen is redeemable in terms of racial and gender issues or not. Critics who view it as unredeemably sexist and anti-Romani always take it for granted that even as a murderer in the end, Don José is meant to be the sympathetic hero. But I'm not so sure about their perspective.

MARIO del MONACO nei panni di Don José ne BIZET: *Carmen* e nei panni di Samson (ALT).

Okay so Don Jose is basically in love with Toreador... 🥹🥹🥹

hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby

my fellow queers, if i ask nicely, will you reblog and put in the tags a thing younger you did that looking back was obviously fruity? I will even go first, I kept getting jealous at the male love interest in any media i consumed

Can we just appreciate how Panchito and José recognize Donald's nobility of heart and praise him for it while declaring themselves not worthy of being in his proximity? I love moments like this!

These are scenes from the comic titled "three caballeros ride again" by Don Rosa.

i'm too sleepy to come up with a caption for these tonight

i would not make a don jose operacharacter playlist seeing as how even though i think he’s so fascinating he isn’t one of my blorbos per se. HOWEVER. i have a VERY SPECIFIC idea of what one would look like

took c to the opera last night, she got seated next to a 4’2” butch in a full three piece suit who sat with perfect stillness and posture for all three hours.

best and spookiest part was the ballet interludes; during the part where Carmen reads her death in the cards the dancers mimed out a series of violent horrible deaths with their partners and when it came time for them to leave at the end of the song every single one stopped and arranged themselves before Carmen to look her in the eye and give her one solemn head shake of no before flitting away.