Nicholas Muni, director of “Carmen’’ at Boston Lyric Opera, says the city’s lack of a proper opera house is odd but exciting. “Opera can sprout up anywhere,’’ he says.
(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
G FORCE | NICHOLAS MUNI
Enchanted by ‘Carmen’
Nicholas Muni, director of “Carmen’’ at Boston Lyric Opera, says the city’s lack of a proper opera house is odd but exciting. “Opera can sprout up anywhere,’’ he says.
(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
Sixteen years after he last worked with Boston Lyric Opera, Nicholas Muni returns to the company to direct the season-opening run of Bizet’s “Carmen.’’ Keith Lockhart conducts the performances, which kick off tonight with John Bellemer reprising his role as Don José from 2002’s “Carmen on the Common’’ and Dana Beth Miller as the title character. We spoke with Muni recently by phone.
Q. What will surprise people about your production?
A. Surprise? Hmmm. I think there’s sort of a lot of details that I think the people would find unusual. Certain moments.
Q. For example?
A. For the fact that we’re playing Don José as a nobleman. I think he’s a very honorable character, a very honorable man who descends into this kind of madness. The other thing is that it’s a faster version. We’ve made a few more cuts than the traditional cuts. The entire evening is about two-and-a-half hours, which I think is a little unusual for “Carmen.’’
Q. Any hesitation about doing such a warhorse?
A. No hesitation. There’s humility because it’s such a fantastic opera and it has been done so much. There’s a lot to live up to. I’d never hesitate to direct “Carmen’’ because it’s so fantastic.
Q. How has your style changed since you were last at BLO, back in the early ’90s?
A. Probably the biggest thing is I started to work in Europe. I worked with two dramaturges, who were fantastic. I call them kind of concept police. The really good ones, they don’t interfere but they challenge you and say, ‘If this is your premise, this moment, which you kind of describe in Act 3, doesn’t hold water.’ They’re really big over there on - they use the phrase, a German word, konsequent, which means both consequentiality and consistency. That really made a big impression on me, to look at every moment and make sure the dominoes fall into place and the conception is tight.
Q. Are you surprised Boston still doesn’t have a proper opera house?
A. Yeah. I’m probably not alone in that. But I’ll tell you, I worked here with Sarah Caldwell as an actor and it has such a rich heritage of opera that I’ve come to believe that’s actually one of its strengths, that it doesn’t have one opera house and one opera company. It’s odd but it’s also kind of exciting.
Q. Why is it exciting?
A. It’s exciting because it’s not staid. It’s very fertile. Opera can sprout up anywhere.
Q. You’ve said you also have interest in film. Any favorite directors or films you’d mention?
A. I tend toward directors like the Coen brothers in the way they kind of mix tonality. You’re never really sure of what might happen. I mention the Coen brothers because they really entered mainstream commerciality but they keep you off balance and mix comedy and drama the right way.
Interview was condensed and edited. 
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