Barrie Kosky directs this new production of Bizet’s opera with Anna Goryachova and Gaëlle Arquez in the title role. Carmen continues at the Royal Opera House until 16 March. Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews here.
The Guardian: ★★★ “It’s a curious staging, shot through with flashes of brilliance, though by no means cohering into a musical or dramatic whole.”
The Telegraph: ★★★ “Love it or hate it – love it and hate it, indeed, as I did – at least you can’t say that it’s just another Carmen.”
The Stage: ★★★ “The incidentals, from the interpolated dance element to the finer points of make-up are brilliantly achieved. The single staircase set, often crammed with extras subverting as much as supporting the action, is lit with exhausting, daringly monochromatic radiance by Joachim Klein.”
WhatsOnStage: ★ “Kosky has pieced together a cut-and-paste Carmen from musical bacon rinds, alternative versions and pointless voiceover chunks from Prosper Mérimée’s novella.”
Culture Whisper: ★★★★ “This is a Carmen that offers so much, not least some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments – something an audience hardly expects from such a dark tale.”
MarkRonan: “The musical direction was the strongest aspect of the performance, superbly lyrical under the baton of Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, and the chorus was in top-rate form.”
JohnnyFox.co.uk: ★★★★ “The gilt and red velvet box of Covent Garden, the austerity of the set, the wit of the production and the clarity of the voiceover narration clash magnificently with the romantic music to make this Carmen a fresh and thrilling evening.”
