vinegarI’ve seen three versions this year. Carmen (2 ballet and 1 opera) I’m seriously beginning to question whether she’s the right role model for women. Brave, feisty, confident, but a tragic heroine? I’d rather she focus on her career rather than an unreliable man.
At least in Carlos Acosta’s version, her fate is taken out of her hands. His WorkIt premiered in 2015 by the Royal Ballet and has now been expanded. Cuban company Formed that same year, Acosta’s coat of arms prominently features the figure of a horned bull, representing the oppressive hand of fate.
In the opening scene, this character (played by Acosta himself on opening night) emerges from a vertical red circle that dominates Tim Hatley’s masterful set, lays out the heroine’s corpse in the crimson theatrical circle below, and the story begins.
The dancers are superb, enlivening every scene with passion and technique, but the story moves haltingly without ever gaining full momentum. The score is Rodion Shchedrin’s recording of Bizet’s arrangement, with orchestral completions by Martin Yates and additional music by Cuban composers Yovani Duarte and Dennis Paralta.
The mix results in abrupt shifts in tone, sometimes stalling out just as the film is reaching its climax. With the help of Peter Mumford’s dramatic lighting and Nina Dunn’s cloudy cinematography, Acosta conjures up some memorable moments: a lively bar scene, a duet between Carmen and Don José that charts the relationship’s transition from romantic frenzy to despair, and Carmen’s chilling encounter with the bull when she suddenly realizes she has no choice. But the film lacks emotional punch.
But as Carmen, Laura Rodriguez She is sensational. She is a gorgeous dancer who wears classical technique like a second skin, gliding across the stage with nimble feet, light in the air and beautiful on the ground. She Carmen Heart and soul.
