The Car Man

Someone should have given the film editor of this ballet a hearty dose of Ritalin before allowing him in the cutting room; far too much exciting modern dance has been sliced to smithereens by someone who has watched too many Warner Brothers cartoons! Matthew Bourne's exciting re-imagining of Bizet's familiar cat-among -the-pigeons opera transfers heroine Carmen to a Fantasy American Garage-Diner Combo, and a sexy drifter ambles into the wreckage and creates a steamy chaos, loving not only the wife of the boss, but the poor teased pretty boy that hangs around the diner--its an odd concept, but the dancing is a galvanizing mix of classical technique, modern dance and show hoofing, with a steamy atmosphere that surrounds an eclectic mix of lowlife types.

This is clearly not a concept for everyone, and unfortunately, the rapid cross-cutting utilized in the first twenty minutes makes for an uncomfortable watching experience--it is crass work with no eye for the dancers or the mood--but once the story and the dancers take over, the editor seems to mellow out a bit and you can actually see some dancing. As one of his rules for being photographed for film at RKO, Fred Astaire required that all his dancing be covered full-figure, from head to toe, as it was, after all, his dancing that people had come to see. Matthew Bourne should so specify so that dynamic performances such as The Car Man are not chopped to smithereens. High marks for the performance, very low marks for the editing make for an average rating.

The Car Man was brilliant. It used the music from the classic opera Carmen, which worked well in the modern setting of this drama. It conveyed the story through movement rather than words, which I thought was extremely well done and comprehendible. The story is about a guy who comes to town and quickly becomes the object of a lot of attention. He's a heartthrob to the ladies and a hero to the men. He gets involved with someone's wife and a young gay man. When the husband is killed by his wife the gay man is framed and goes to prison, where he gets raped etc. However the wife and main guy run off together and, due to his relationship with the gay guy, guilt sets in and he goes a bit crazy. This was really good if you like the theatre and stuff like that.

Ballet has always had a special place in my heart, since the age of 6. And Matthew Bourne is a very clever choreographer, bringing out his own style while respecting the story of the ballet itself and being a great storyteller. The Car Man will delight those who like his style. Sadly there is one big hindrance which is the camera work, which is rather slapdash in the quick cuts, too many close-ups that are not expansive enough, the want for better shots of the dancers and what they're dancing and also the want for the movement being not as excessively constant as it was. Everything else however is great. The production values match the passion and colour of the story and the Carmen music, not lavish but very appealing, kind of like West Side Story in noir-style. Bourne's choreography really shines, it is clever witty stuff while still looking very graceful and sexy at the same time. And the passion and energy that pulsates through Bizet's music is brought out in this choreography, the drama on stage and in the storytelling. The Car Man for music uses one of the all-time great French operatic masterpieces in Carmen, the music of course is fantastic and the orchestra play it with such verve, nuance and fire. The conducting is musical and has authority, the drama is allowed to resonate but the energy of the production is never lost. The dancing in impeccable and the performances strong. Will Kemp comes off best, he is a powerful dancer though capable of many elegant lines and acts and performs with a lot of expression, never coming off as clinical. To conclude, a very good production, often great, but one wishes that the camera work was better than it was. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Matthew Bourne has become my new hero...having swept me off my feet with his all male "Swan Lake" and then with his tantalizing and provocative draw on Carmen, "The Car Man". I didn't even like ballet or musicals until a friend introduced me to all those heady Swans. But even moreso, I was completely captivated by the sweaty, steamy peek into "Harmony, USA" where "The Car Man" unfolds. Though all cast members were superb, Will Kemp literally took my breath away. His portrayal of Angelo was so exquisitely danced I felt I had crawled into his skin. He was/is brilliant not only as a dancer but an actor as well. (His first film 'Mindhunters' comes out early next year). Though it is dance theatre - so to speak - and some may not be comfortable at first with no dialogue, Will alone is so compelling as he evolves from a quiet, sexually confused, timid, sweet soul to a ... well I won't spoil it. But the transformation is so powerful you want to watch it over and over. It also makes me wish I lived in London to be able to see Bourne, Kemp and all the loyal 'Bourne' crew of dancers more frequently.

After seeing Bourne's Swan Lake, I was intrigued, yet not enthralled to see Car Man- as I love Bizet's Carmen. Although I wasn't expecting opera, and I do appreciate artistic interpretation, I was hoping to get at least some excitement over the dancing as dance was the vehicle for the message. In the interview on the DVD, Bourne seems to be proud that Vincent doesn't look like a dance. Well, there's a reason for that- he's not. He dances like a ballet school drop out that was given a chance for a lead in a off-off-off production. I find Bourne's choreography clumsy and somewhat over the ability of the dancers he casts. It's as if he can't find (or won't pay) high caliber, better qualified dancers to do the parts.

As for the interpretation, has anyone seen his rendition of Swan Lake? -clearing throat- um, same plot... Half clad boys, boy gets girl, boy gets boy, boy gets killed. -yawn- Been there...

I'm not a dancer, but I've attended enough ballet, jazz dance, interpretive dance, opera, symphony and theater to know quality when I see it. I think Bourne could have a masterpiece if he brought in more talent to handle what he's trying to convey. I applaud Bourne for working out of the box, but he falls flat in execution. Needs work