Carmencita

In adapting Carmen for teens, my biggest wall so far is what to do about the bullfight. I don't want a bullfight in Carmencita. I recognize the importance the bullfight has played as a symbol, a metaphor of the violence of the relationship between Carmen and Don Jose. And I do not want to have this blood sport as part of my adaptation. I do want a violent metaphor, but not a bloody one. What to do? I want to keep the music and the lyrics as close to the original as possible, and lose the bloody bullfight. I've been meditating and pondering this question for weeks. Today I think I may have found the answer on the weather channel. What is more violent and unpredictable than tornadoes? This does mean rewriting the lyrics [in French!!!] but it is better than bloody bullfighting, IMHO.