Ellen Kent’s Carmen At Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel Randle
Last night myself and my daughter (8) braved the sub zero temperatures and headed off to what was our first opera experience, Carmen, at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.
Now I’m sure like many people, opera is not top of my must-see list. I don’t really know why. It’s not something I know about and I have never been introduced to it, and I suppose I have always assumed it is just a lot of nonsensical singing in very high pitched voices! But I am willing to try anything once and as a home educator I am always wanting to introduce my daughter to new experiences.
I did google the synopsis before I went because I didn’t want to sit there completely oblivious to what was happening. I also downloaded the music by French Composer George Bizet to add some familiarity.
To my utter surprise I was very familiar with at least three of the musical pieces including Habanera and the Toreador Song. I don’t know why I know them but they are very famous pieces which I would imagine many people will know. This filled me with confidence as we took our seats.
Ellen Kent’s production of Carmen was performed by the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv and a live orchestra. It was set in Spain, sung in French and was staged with surtitles. Now on paper this seems all very frightening and somewhat off-putting to me, but I am happy to take on a challenge and eat my words. And eat my words I did! I loved it!!!
The surtitles gave a very simple translation to all the elaborate arias, so I wasn’t distracted the whole time by having to read the songs word for word but I always felt I knew what was going on and so almost forgot it was in French. The set and the costumes – Spanish gypsy style – were very striking. The set stayed predominantly the same throughout – a traditional square in Seville. The scenes were set with the change of furniture and props. I was totally immersed in the story telling throughout and the music on the whole was very uplifting wanting to make you tap your feet.
The opera was split into four acts with an interval between each – one of 20 mins, one of 5 mins and one of 15 mins. This was another first for me. I am used to just the one interval but I really like this set up. With a running time of 3hours 10minutes this gave us a breather to stretch our legs, refill our glasses and digest what we had just watched. I also used the opportunity to read the synopsis of the upcoming scene.
The curtain call was preceded with the unfurling of the Ukrainian Flag and a rendition of the Ukrainian National Anthem. It was a very humbling and emotional tribute to the current situation in the country and the audience all showed their support by taking to their feet and a rapturous applause.
To summarise my whole experience, I would say ‘Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!’ Opera has never been on my radar but I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and would certainly do it again! For my eight year old, she enjoyed it (and stayed awake the full 3+ hours despite us leaving the theatre after 10.30pm) but for her there was not enough visual stimulation to keep her attentive 100% of the time. She said she would much prefer more dancing.
Rating: 4.5/5
You can check out the UK Tour Dates for Ellen Kent’s Carmen on the ATG website
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/ellen-kent-carmen/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/