English National Opera - Carmen

Bizet's Carmen (2015?) -

They certainly filled the stage with a bevy of hot young men in this production, so with all of them available, it was odd that Eric Cutler, the leading man Don José was not a more traditionally attractive actor. I mean I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating biscuits, but he wasn't the typical male I had expected to be in the role.

And I didn't buy that he was attractive to Carmen (Justina Gringyte). I couldn't really see what he saw in her either. She was a bit of a trollop from what I could tell and not in the usually less obvious way that tricks the unsuspecting men in to falling in love.

My only other reference to this story had been 'Carmen Jones' (1954) and I only watched that all the way through because it was as on Stephen Schneider's Top 1001 films.

As with that production, I found that most of the lyrics seemed to have been shoehorned in to the songs to fit, rather than because it worked as part of the story, ruining what was otherwise beautiful music from Bizet.

Sometimes they were literally just singing "Tra La La" for ages and some of the incidental music reminded me of Howard Blake's efforts in 'The Snowman' (1982).

At least one of the issues I had with the singing was probably that the old fashioned words didn't really fit in the modern setting, which was part of what I didn't enjoy about 'Carmen Jones', but at least that version made more sense.

And the Tarot cards song was just bizarre in both of them.

I got a bit lost around the 'Toreador' song in this one and I seriously considered turning it off then, because it was all just a bit too much, almost farcical in its way. I wish that I had trusted my gut, because I was really bored by the end.

The whole thing was drawn out because they repeated themselves so often and not because the story was substantial enough for the time allotted. It was just a lot of reiterating what had gone before, as if we'd forgotten in the last ten minutes.

There was also a lot of filler between the scenes, probably for costume or scene changes, but really obvious and without adding anything of value.

The recycling of the performers made it a bit of a struggle to work out what was going on too. If they had to be re-used, which I really didn't think that they did, they shouldn't be so prominent on the stage. When one guy has had a whole scene as one character, he shouldn't then be used as a completely new person in the next scene. I was pretty sure that there were more than enough other men available on that stage and surely one of them must have been capable to play one of the parts that were doubled up. This is why there are no men around to be in amateur theatre, because they were all in this production.

The character of Escamillo (Leigh Melrose) would have worked better as a boxer (As he was in 'Carmen Jones') in this much more modern setting. I felt that the Toreador role seemed a bit outdated and less likely to be as revered in the time setting, less likely to be a celebrity as depicted. He also didn't seem like he was worth leaving José for either, which made it hard to see why she might.

And Eleanor Dennis as Micaela had terrible diction.

Overall the whole thing came across to me like watching an operatic version of 'Eastenders' (1985-) set in Spain, one of those tacky spin off holiday episodes or something - All miserable drama and horrible characters.

298.11/1000.

What a real shame. It is very unusual to be criticising a production of Bizet's masterpiece 'Carmen', but too much here didn't work more than it did. English National Opera have disappointed a lot lately, and their 'Carmen' is one of the worst cases.

It is not unwatchable by all means. Eleanor Dennis is a very poignant Micaela, actually making much of little. Director Calixto Bieito does do little to make a notoriously passive character interesting, but Dennis gives the production the heart, emotional impact and passion that it is sorely lacking in in so many areas. Rian Lois and Clare Preland clearly relish the roles of Carmen's friends Frasquita and Mercedes, and Leigh Melrose's Escamillo is charismatic and the very meaning of the "I'm here, look at me" star matador with a warmly sung and vigorously acted rendition of the famous Toreador Song.

The orchestra also play the score with passionate power, vigorous energy and aching nuances, again something that is lacking in the staging and a few of the performances. Richard Armstrong gives a very disciplined (having worked with him briefly when he conducted rehearsals of the conservatoire's Verdi Requiem before walking out on us and being replaced by Barry Wordsworth, he is very particular and disciplined) but also alert, musical and energetic reading as conductor.

However, Justina Gringyte sings gorgeously and seductively, but this sensuality does not translate in her acting which is too cold, despite moments of flirtation and seductiveness, and too much of a victim, which is the complete opposite of what Carmen really is (she is a temptress who drives Don Jose to commit the actions that he does, characterising her as a victim completely undermines the final act and renders what happens senseless).

Eric Cutler has clearly grown since being introduced in the Met's 'I Puritani', the voice is notably less strained even in a heavier role, has more ring, bloom and freshness. He also gets the sympathetic side of Don Jose right in the first two acts, but doesn't quite convince when the character hardens in the last two, at times too sympathetic and sometimes too much of a brute. The rest of the roles were not particularly memorable.

Visually, it is all dismal dark and gloom with no sense whatsoever of sunny Seville/Spain. In fact, setting, place and time period are impossible to determine here. What dooms the production is Calixto Bieito's staging. Having been familiar with other Bieito productions, with his 'Wozzeck' having its moments but lots of puzzlement and his Liceu 'Don Giovanni' (its critical panning and booing being totally justified) is a travesty, one knew what to expect.

However, passion is replaced by excessive and very much gratuitous overuse of vulgarity, considering that 'Carmen' is one of the most passionate operas ever written that is an enormous problem, and there are so many touches that not just distract from the drama but confuses it and renders the very linear drama without any kind of sense. The usually very powerful final act with one of the most dramatically intense endings in all of operas, has all the emotion, let alone passion and intensity, of a damp squib, that's how underwhelming it was.

All in all, English National Opera disappoints again in a vulgar and dramatically half-cooked 'Carmen'. 4/10 Bethany Cox