I’m a big fan of Bizet’s music for Carmen, the story, the setting, the emotions, and I have raved in the past about Matthew Bourne’s settings of Cinderella and Swan Lake so I was incredibly excited to see this production, set in the Southern US in the late 50s, possibly.

I don’t know for sure. There did not seem to be any programmes, which was disappointing. I do like some information about what I’m seeing, the characters, the plot, the performers. It could be that programmes were available to download but my ticket was a last minute purchase in haste so I simply did not notice any link. In which case my bad.

My seat was a top price one in a Grand Tier box. Though I was right at the front of the box, its angle in relation to the stage set meant that I missed quite a lot of the action vital to the plot and at times could only surmise what was happening as the dancers emerged from their little scenery nook. I did have a good view of the orchestra, though, which was nice.

I think it would have been fair of the RAH to warn that this was a restricted view seat, in which case it should not have been in the most expensive price band. As I’m small I’m usually wary of orchestra stalls seats – the man with the largest head in the world often makes a beeline for the seat right in front of me. I think I would have derived 100% extra enjoyment closer to the action in the stalls but they were all completely sold out, of course. And that’s my main beef, really, that the production suffers from being in such a huge venue. In the covid times no opera glasses are available for a better view. This setting did not pursue a story arc into a the grand panoramas of a smugglers’ camp in the hills above Seville, nor to a bullring on fiesta day. It was intimate in its portrayal of the characters’ interactions and emotions and I think it would have been better seen in a smaller setting such as Sadlers Wells. (Does that even exist anymore?)

Though my whole body lurched as always with the thrill of the opening number. I was quite confused by the order of the music, which was taken from Carmen but tossed in the air like confetti, to rain down willy-nilly, fine because it was telling a different story. I also found myself resenting the xylophone/ vibraphone centred arrangements. I don’t remember hearing many wind instruments there and of course there was no programme available to check this. Though beautifully played, of course, this jarred with my expectations. 

I hand been looking forward to listening to Bizet’s wonderful score but sadly I felt disorientated and bewildered at missing the  great operatic moments: the Habanera; that horrifying bottom A when Carmen reads her fate in the cards (one of my favourite moments in all of music); the whirling passion of Seville’s ramparts; seducing Don Jose to come with her to Lilas Pastias’s place. I longed for the dramatic illustration that corresponded with this passionate, thrilling score.

I’m just a ballet mum and a standard lover of dance so don’t look here for an expert review of the dancing. I thought it was great but I think I was a bit too far away to be able to engage with it. The set piece ensemble numbers were both effective and exciting but – and this comparison is inevitable for me – without the thrilling wit and frisson of Hong Kong Ballet. I’m sorry but their productions are possibly some of the best dance I’ve ever seen. I did, however love the tender pas de deux between the Michaela and Jose characters that sets up the closeness of their relationship against the terrible chaos wrought by the Car Man and mistress characters.

Having said that:

Did I imagine the multiple film references to Chicago and Oklahoma and the Hot Spot and Grease and Rebel without a Cause in this story setting? The ensemble were thrillingly together in the hoedown, the flamenco, the rock and roll dance and the Argentinian tango, just as one would expect with a Bourne piece. I’m not exactly sure why there was an ensemble dance that included mass simulated sex but it is a passionate story and it was very hot and therefore sexy in the evenings there, I suppose.

I found myself slightly irritated rather than amused by the trope of gay sex in a rocking car. It started off as as a somewhat jokey scene of fumbled, joyous discovery but is important as the seeding of the unfolding tragedy. I think it was just too flippant but I am willing to accept accusations of over-sensitivity in this case. 

The portrayal of the Car Man’s descent from mysterious new arrival in town to an alcoholic gambler tortured by his guilt was engaging too.

I did engage with the emotions of the story and particularly with the portrayals of infatuation, devotion, brutalisation. I’m well-known for my disdain for the Michaela character in the opera as she piously offers  redemption and rescue to Don Jose from his fall into a life on the run among the smugglers and outcasts. Her soprano aria still sounds hopelessly twee to my cynical ears, especially in contrast to the absolute mezzo stonkers sung by Carmen and her two friends.

However, the equivalent Michaela character in this ballet setting moved me immensely with her stoic refusal to give up on the Don Jose character, impassioned and infatuated with the Car Man until the very end. Her suffering in her relationship with her boyfriend, framed and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit and hardened and brutalised in jail was a portrait of sweetness and devotion that touched me deeply. I began to see Michaela in a different light altogether. She sacrifices her health and happiness through her loyalty to this man who, in the end, has eyes only for the Car Man. I weptfor her and also for him, both of them betrayed and in grief.

Overall I enjoyed the evening, and probably would have been able to engage far better in a smaller venue. Still, I’m very glad I went and that my outing prompted all of these thoughts. I’d definitely recommend seeing it when it’s next around. Thanks to Rob for recommending it to me.