The team behind the Metropolitan Opera’s 2023 “Carmen” production is asking the company to remove their names from programs.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the dispute began after the company decided to restage certain elements of the production. When the production opened, Escamillo entered in a red Jaguar convertible and was accompanied by his entourage in three pickup trucks. All three vehicles moved on wires guided by a computer. However, this season the company decided to eliminate the Jaguar and two trucks. Instead, Escamillo walked in with his followers and a motorcycle. One of the pickup trucks from the original staging was kept but did not move.

According to General Manager Peter Gelb, the restaging was done for economic reasons. He told the Associated Press, “It was really an economic decision. We decided it was incredibly expensive to run, and it was not particularly effective. We decided to cut it.”

The AP is reporting that Gelb said the company was saving more then $300,000.

However, set designer Michael Levine responded furiously stating “I didn’t want my name attached to the production because it’s not a representation of the original artistic intent. … I’ve never come across anything on this level where they literally change the basic concept.” According to Levine he received a call from the assistant general manager for production in which he told Levine that company was in “terrible financial straits” and they had to “make cuts to the opera.”

The AP reported that Levine and Cracknell attempted to find a solution. They said they tried to put the cars on the stage turntable but were rejected by Met, which did not want to negotiate.