Director Jia Ding on reimagining Georges Bizet’s Carmen as a Hong Kong story

Opera Hong Kong’s Carmen, running from May 7 to 10, promises to be a seductive strut down memory lane. Under the direction of Jia Ding, the classic tale has been reimagined. The opera, by French composer Georges Bizet, is a story of burning love and brutal passion traditionally set in Seville, Spain. But what would the story look like if that drama took place in 1978 Hong Kong instead? Jia is a tour de force in the performing arts, being an acclaimed lyricist, playwright and director. For someone who started directing “as a hobby”, he has racked up some impressive numbers, having overseen more than 400 national-level performances, including the 100-day countdown events for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as well as the CCTV Spring Festival Gala shows. He also worked with Opera Hong Kong on 2024’s Turandot, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Here, Jia tells PostMag about his decision to change the setting for Carmen, bringing the theatrical vision to life and creating an immersive experience for a new generation of opera fans. Tell us about your take on Carmen. This is a show that has been done many times, with many interpretations. We wanted to make ours modern and relevant to the audience here. We chose to set it in Hong Kong in 1978 for a few reasons. It was the beginning of Hong Kong’s golden era, so it would be significant to locals. It was also the time when the mainland started looking outwards, and Hong Kong was seen as aspirational. There was quite a bit of cross-cultural flow between Hong Kong and the mainland at the time. How will you bring 1978 Hong Kong to life? It’s important that we create an immersive world in which the audience can really lose themselves. Everything has to be believable. We have over 500 costumes, more than 400 props and at least 200 pairs of shoes to make. The research on historical details is so important, like on the police caps, which need to have the crown insignia to match the colonial period. We are also weaving Cantonese into the show, and the instrumentations will have an oriental flair. I want to infuse this Western classic with a very Hong Kong spirit. How will the set design contribute towards creating that immersive feeling? The rose is a common theme in Carmen. Every production of it has her walking in with a rose and that’s very telling of her personality – she is driven by passion and love. I feel that many productions don’t lean in enough on that. Our backdrop will be a rose consisting of 16 “petals” that move and allow for projection. It allows us to show different locations over four acts that span Causeway Bay, Lan Kwai Fong, Tuen Mun Pier and the Happy Valley Racecourse. We worked in a lot of strong colours and artistic flair. I want each setting to be a work of art. The set tells the story as much as the performers do. What’s been your biggest challenge so far? This is quite an international production. A lot of the cast are French, I’m based in Beijing and we have people in Hong Kong. So, we have limited time for dress rehearsals. I need to make sure that we can maximise the time we have for in-person preparations. This means making sure that all the other moving parts, from sets to costumes, are ready before we begin. The cast are experienced professionals and have been preparing. In person, we will focus more on refining the characterisations. You worked with Opera Hong Kong on Turandot in 2024. What’s the difference between these productions? Love is a common theme between them. But while Turandot asks the question, Carmen provides the answer. Carmen is a more romantic story and we will explore more of that in this take. Tell us about your creative life. I did film and television studies at the People’s Liberation Army Academy of Art. I started directing in 1984 as a hobby, but somehow, I’ve ended up directing more than 400 productions. I consider myself a lyricist first and foremost. I’ve written over 2,000 songs across various genres over four decades. It informs the way I approach directing and my other creative ventures. I’m fortunate to now be in a position where I can pick projects based on my passion for them. When Opera Hong Kong asked me to direct Carmen, my stipulation was that I’d be allowed to do a unique take on it and Warren Mok (founder and artistic director of Opera Hong Kong) was kind enough to accommodate me. You’ve worked on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the world’s most-watched television programme. Tell us about that. I’m proud that many of my compositions have been performed in the show over the years. Plus, I’ve had a hand in planning and directing quite a number of them. But working on that is a different creature compared with an opera; the former is a spectacle, while the latter is about creating an intimate environment for the audience. What’s your life outside the arts like? I live a simple life. I’m someone who only eats to survive. What do you want people to take away from your version of Carmen? Carmen is the entry point for many people to become fans of opera. It’s important to create an experience for Hong Kong audiences and make Carmen ours. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

Director Jia Ding on reimagining Georges Bizet’s Carmen as a Hong Kong story

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Director Jia Ding on transplanting Georges Bizet’s classic opera Carmen from Spain to 1970s Hong Kong

Director Jia Ding on transplanting Georges Bizet’s classic opera Carmen from Spain to 1970s Hong Kong