The sultry, slinky melodies of Carmen have been sliding across our collective consciousnesses since they slipped from George Bizet’s quill back in 1875 with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy in turn plundered from the novella by the gloriously named Prosper Merimee. I wonder if he ever did. At the time it was a ground-breaking and shocking presentation scandalising the good folk of Paris and within only 33 performances the composer was dead unaware of what a world-renowned classic he had given birth to. Commercials, movies, samplings, parodies, concerts and even the occasional ice dance all gleaned inspiration and clips from dear George. Opera houses across the globe rely on its crowd pleasing sauce and sex to light up the box-office which is does with relentless ease year after year. One of the most produced operas in the canon, but what about it being a ballet? Well, I’m glad you asked…
Bourne has gutted the original saving the odd sample of plot and huge helping of the score and totally re-engineered, re-invented and re-imagined it with cinematic zeal and palpable sense of time and place.
The mid-fifties southern American town of Harmony sizzle with heat and sweat which can almost be sensed from row F and populates with a lonesome tribe of semi-cons and ne’er-do-wells. The narrative flits with compelling speed and, though the second act doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the first, it does all click into tragic place with logical inevitability lacking, perhaps, a dash of surprise.
Naturally the choreography and direction is sublime with a world class creator on top of their game giving us a piece of sumptuous invention and flair. Ably supported by the glorious Tanisha Addicott as Gina who flirts outrageously with Will Bozeir as the handsome hunk who drifts into town. Both clearly world-class with none of the tedious traditional tropes usually associated with ballet. This version rips apart the rule book and resembles the show into something substantial and fresh which talks directly to a movie-literate crowd.
Terry Davies has orchestrated the score with elan and style and Lez Brotherston’s set and costume designs bring a visceral feel to the production complimented by Chris Davey, sultry lighting and Paul Grootius’s prime and pristine sound design.
Clearly this is one of the highlights of the season from a theatre so closely associated with dance and ballet, but this one will take a lot of beating.
Reviewer: Peter Kinnock
Reviewed: 13th October 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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