Acosta Danza in Carlos Acosta’s Carmen

Sadler’s Wells, London
July 2, 2024

It would be fair to say that Carlos Acosta’s 2015 version of Carmen for The Royal Ballet was not a resounding success. But he always thought it would make a better ballet as a whole-evening two-act affair, which he now presents with Acosta Danza.

It looks a treat. Tim Hatley’s costumes and Peter Mumford’s lighting are both excellent. Nina Dunn’s video designs, which appear inside a glowing red ring that looks not unlike an eclipse, are very effective. It does not sound a treat, however. There’s nothing wrong with Rodion Shchedrin’s arrangement of George Bizet’s opera score, or with the earthy additional music by Martin Yates, Yhovani Duarte and Denis Paralta, but some dreadful over-amplification violent too often distorts it all terribly.

At its heart, Carmen is a tale of a woman’s overt sexuality, her relationship with two men, and her death. What one remembers from this Carmen however are the ensemble scenes. I don’t know what they were on, but their energy and stamina were incredible. They fizzed from first moment to last, Acosta’s choreography inventive and drawing on multiple influences. Their best dances come in the Tavern Scene that opens Act Two, although they do go on a bit and at times have quite a West End musical vibe more than anything else. But you cannot deny they entertain.

Acosta starts the work where it ends, revisiting Carmen’s story over four scenes. In the lead role, Laura Rodriguez is a seductive figure, someone who you can’t take your eyes off. She’s technically at the top too. But her character is also strangely unappealing, perhaps something to do with the fact she appears to see men as playthings, to be toyed with then tossed aside the minute someone more interesting comes along. Or maybe it’s the way Acosta fails disappointingly to flesh out her, or indeed any of the three main characters. As a work, this Carmen has very little depth.

Alejandro Silva as Don José is a fine partner. But he never shows us who he is. Anything much in the way of passion was decidedly lacking. Even in the pas de deux, there seemed little emotional connection between his character and Carmen, although again that may be down to the choreography, which never really seems to develop or reach any sort of climax.

Rather better was the handsome Enrique Corrales who oozed charm as the ultra self-confident Escamillo. Even just walking round the back of the ensemble, constantly glancing at Carmen, you just felt he had something. And when he and Rodriguez danced together, they really danced together.

Conducting everything, hovering over proceedings as a sort of god of destiny, often in the centre of that red ring, is Carlos Acosta in the shape of a mysterious character with bull’s horns. Whether the role adds anything is debateable, however. And the costume certainly does not do him any favours.

I suspect this is a Carmen that will have wide appeal. Brash, loud (in all senses of the word) and fast-moving, it is good entertainment. Brilliantly danced too. But I like a bit more depth, perhaps why I found it all just a little underwhelming.

Carlos Acosta’s Carmen is at Sadler’s Wells to July 6, 2024.