The pitiable third wheel, Micaëla, can often walk away with the show. José is a role Alagna knows intimately by now, and his portrayal is bracing: a passionate soldier who becomes an unhinged wreck, his fascination with Carmen turning into a violent obsession. There were a few traces of the familiar strain up top but for the most part, he was able to command the rich, burnished tone that made him famous in his prime. Roberto Alagna, Wednesday’s Don José, sounded more secure than in many his recent Met appearances. The arc of her character was equally impressive, from the sensual confidence of the early acts to the deep dread of the tarot scene, where her chest voice smoldered. A sultry, irresistible Séguedille showed Margaine at her best, twisting her way beautifully through the winding vocal line. In the title role, Clémentine Margaine was much more herself this time around, showing more of the full, smoky sound and magnetic allure that had made her debut in the role last season so memorable. That aside, Wednesday’s performance was a marked improvement over this season’s earlier showing thanks to a game, talented cast. This comes just two nights after a creaky tech fail to end the Sonja Frisell Aida. As a result, the first act of the Richard Eyre production lacked its usual clockwork precision and, more comically, actors were forced to vanish into the wings in the middle of their scenes in search of props that would usually have been pre-set. Just before the curtain came up on the second cast this season, a stage manager stepped out to announce “technical difficulties”: the Act I turntable was out, and the staging had been altered to accommodate the problem. Not all was right with the Met’s Carmen on Wednesday night.

Roberto Alagna as Don José in Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera.

Carmen metropolitan opera house