ENB company premiere: Johan Inger's Carmen, Sadler's Wells, 27 March-6 April 2024

[Emeralds]

Starting this thread for ENB's new acquisition: Johan Inger's version of Carmen (originally created for Compaña Nacional de Danza) set to Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Suite based on themes by Georges Bizet, with additional music by Marc Álvarez. Costume design is by David Delfin, sets by Curt Allen Wilmer and Leticia Ganan, lighting by Tom Visser.

 

Minju Kang, Emily Suzuki,  Erina Takahashi and Ivana Bueno are scheduled to make their debuts as Carmen. 

[Dawnstar]

Oh, is that why there didn't seem to be as many regulars as usual at the ROH tonight? Were lots of people at SW instead?

[Emeralds]

1 minute ago, Dawnstar said:

Oh, is that why there didn't seem to be as many regulars as usual at the ROH tonight? Were lots of people at SW instead?

Good observation, Dawnstar- I think the critics were at Sadler's Wells, although I'm not sure that the same people who generally watch MacMillan or Royal Ballet will necessarily watch this style/genre of dance. (Case in point- quite a few of our members!)

 

I was intrigued to hear Inger describe his works as contemporary dance which is danced by dancers with ballet technique when interviewed on Radio 3 this week. I am still sitting on the fence about whether to go: I could watch a one act piece by Inger with 2  classical ballets, but will need some convincing about a full length work. 

[Sim]

Any comments on last night’s opening, please?  I am skipping this so am interested to hear what attendees think of it and whether I am making a mistake…🤔

[LinMM]

I will later on but am about to set off to get back to Brighton ….but looking at your above comment Emeralds you can save your money as one of the things I said at the end yesterday is for me I don’t think this choreography really suits a full length work!! 
When I saw ENB’s Creature I felt the music/sound track destroyed it but last night I thought the music saved it! 
 

[San Perregrino]

I found much to enjoy last night both in terms of choreography, orchestration and narrative.  Minju Kang was stunning in the lead role of Carmen (a femme fatale par excellence) alongside Rentaro Nakaaki as a deeply tormented Don José and James Streeter as an arrogant Zuniga.  If you're a fan of Erik Woolhouse then his Torero is not to be missed.

I am already looking forward to seeing it again with other casts.

[Aklf]

A very brief note about last night-

I would absolutely encourage people

to go. I went with very limited knowledge of the production and loved it. 

The dancers were on top form, the staging minimal, sophisticated and clever, the music wonderful, costume design chic and choreography beautiful.

The expressiveness and subtle intention of each movement from every single dancer on stage  was delivered clearly as we were sitting some distance from the stage so couldn’t see faces.

An inspiring and throughly enjoyable performance all round. We loved Francesca Velicu’s delivery of ‘The Boy’, Minju Kang was a superbly nuanced and ultra assured Carmen, the entire cast were brilliant. Looking forward to hearing more people’s thoughts as the performances continue. 

[Dawnstar]

13 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Good observation, Dawnstar- I think the critics were at Sadler's Wells, although I'm not sure that the same people who generally watch MacMillan or Royal Ballet will necessarily watch this style/genre of dance. (Case in point- quite a few of our members!)

 

I meant Forum members. I'm not sure I'd recognise any dance critics if I saw them & I'm certainly not on interval-chatting terms with them!

[LinMM]

Am on train at mo but as often it seems in more contemporary works these days the dancers out shone the choreography….nothing wrong with them and Minju Kang and Eric Woolhouse were outstanding….I wished he had been on stage more he sort of lit the stage up last night 

I’m still thinking about exactly what to say as this was not dreadful or anything like that but by the end the choreography was boring to me and took away from the drama rather than added to it. I think this review is going to be in dribs and drabs as I know a lot of people are impressed with this sort of dance just not me nor my friend and nor the two women sitting next to

me last night…so a few of us out in the cold. 
Also it’s difficult when you can see a lot has been put into a work including obviously the choreographer himself who was certainly of good intent to be too disparaging. 
Im going to try and get to the core of why it didn’t really work for me but I wouldn’t tell people not to go. If you are in doubt and can get a cheap ish seat I definitely would unless you already know you hate this type of contemporary dance. 

[LinMM]

I think it’s good that Ballet Companies have a wide Rep including contemporary work as this appeals to a wider audience so can only be a plus for any Company. 
In this respect ENB can be commended for some of their projects in recent years. 
I was looking forward to this Carmen and my first outing to the ballet since November. Though I knew it would be very contemporary this was as contemporary as it gets as  this had hardly any balletic quality to it at all. It was almost like a very elaborate street dance in parts. 
I was so wanting to have a new production I could really relish booking next time around  but don’t think this Carmen will be it. 
There were some very nice moments in it …..I loved the way the death of Zuniga ( Streeter) was done in the dramatic ending to first Act and the way at one point the girls all followed Don Jose’ around the stage whispering Carmen to get across his paranoia but what I found was that after about 40 mins into first act inspite of the little spat between Carmen and one of the girls(Sangeun Lee) I  began to feel irritated with the choreography as in the end there wasn’t enough dramatic hook in it to draw me into the characters and the drama between them ….or the choreography was somehow not strong enough for the music. It became like anybody could be anybody really and a bit of an improvised feel. I was just starting to switch off when the gun went off!! The rest of that Act was really well done. 
So the jury was out a bit at the interval  and had been really wowed by Woolhouse too and was hoping to see more of him. 
When the second act started there was this weird bit to electronic music and had a moment of panic when couldn’t see the orchestra ( blacked out) and thought they’d gone home and here was Carmen suddenly morphing into Creature for a moment with Don Jose’s struggle with the two masked all in black “shadows” 

Then the lights came on and to my relief there was the orchestra all sitting there. 
I didn’t buy a programme last night probably a mistake as there was a lot of use of the “shadow dancers” dressed in black looking like menacing  bank robbers but who I assumed were harbingers of death and evil doings. In the second Act there was a lot of them rolling across the stage far too much and then ferociously dancing to build up some drama ( I thought) to Carmens stabbing while Carmen and Don Jose just walked about the stage in and out of the moveable  props. It was as if the two main characters couldn’t be choreographed to hold the drama so needed the assistance of the shadow dancers. It was a real anti climax at the end though as inspite of all this going on I didn’t  even realise Don Jose had stabbed Carmen until her reaction.

The ending scene could have been more memorably dramatic if it had been just a slumped Don Jose’ and carmens spirit receding as lights went down but the boy character breaking up some doll almost in a fit of pique at the way things had turned out spoilt that for me. 

Minju was a very good Carmen I thought but didn’t think Nakaaki really held the dramatic tension as Don Jose’ but not sure if this was because of the choreography or not. 
Id love to know what others think. 
I would see it again but not desperate to see it again and I so wanted to be! 
So a little disappointed really. 

 

 

[alison]

So, there are multiple acts?  Oh good, I'll at least be able to get an ice cream for once.

 

But frankly, right at the moment I don't want to have to hear any more about stabbings

[Emeralds]

5 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I meant Forum members. I'm not sure I'd recognise any dance critics if I saw them & I'm certainly not on interval-chatting terms with them!

From a rough count of what members have declared they're doing and the reviews that have been posted, it looks like slightly more members went to ROH although the first night supporters who have posted reviews here have done very well! But then it was a weeknight so there are generally fewer people out and about - I wouldn't have gone myself but I had to see first cast of Danses Concertantes and second cast of Requiem - as you calculated previously, 27 March is a must to catch all the casts if one only wants to go twice instead of 3 times. But I think the rail strikes are messing up plans......including trying to fit Carmen in. 

Edited March 28 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

7 hours ago, Aklf said:

A very brief note about last night-

I would absolutely encourage people

to go. I went with very limited knowledge of the production and loved it. 

The dancers were on top form, the staging minimal, sophisticated and clever, the music wonderful, costume design chic and choreography beautiful.

The expressiveness and subtle intention of each movement from every single dancer on stage  was delivered clearly as we were sitting some distance from the stage so couldn’t see faces.

An inspiring and throughly enjoyable performance all round. We loved Francesca Velicu’s delivery of ‘The Boy’, Minju Kang was a superbly nuanced and ultra assured Carmen, the entire cast were brilliant. Looking forward to hearing more people’s thoughts as the performances continue. 

May I ask @Aklf or @San Perregrino or @LinMM who The Boy is supposed to represent? Intriguing to see The Boy is portrayed in all the casts by a ballerina. Inger said he has included a child observer in the story in this version - is that who The Boy is? 

Edited March 28 by Emeralds

[LinMM]

Yes that’s what he seemed to be! 
But really also wanting to keep things innocent between Carmen and Don Jose I thought …so at times trying to persuade to “keep on the straight and narrow” as it were. There’s a little dance sequence between the three with the boy seeming to act out being their child …a sort of possible alternative reality… but whether this really worked dramatically I’m not sure. Delightfully danced by Velicu of course but the character seemed a little out of place to me.  

[Emeralds]

 

38 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Yes that’s what he seemed to be! 
But really also wanting to keep things innocent between Carmen and Don Jose I thought …so at times trying to persuade to “keep on the straight and narrow” as it were. There’s a little dance sequence between the three with the boy seeming to act out being their child …a sort of possible alternative reality… but whether this really worked dramatically I’m not sure. Delightfully danced by Velicu of course but the character seemed a little out of place to me.  

Thank you @LinMM for this and the details in your two earlier parts. That's really interesting and very useful to know. That's what I found when I saw the videos from the Spanish company- the choreography didn't seem to have a dramatic hook and wasn't very strong. At present I'm still in two minds about going.

[Mary]

Helpful to have so many reviews in the links today - overall, not a very positive response it seems.

[MAX]

Bad reviews in general, I was waiting to read them before deciding to buy a ticket or not, it's now clear that I will not go

[LinMM]

I’ve accessed all the reviews I can …but not the usual Telegraph and Times ones etc ….and the others  don’t seem to be that bad to me probably more favourable than my own anyway! 
Not exactly 5 star reviews but not a write off!! 
 

I always like to judge something for myself anyway not rely on critics views ….some of whom do not have that much experience of ballet and dance either as observers or doers. 

 

 

Edited March 29 by LinMM

[Emeralds]

Of course, I tend not to pay heed to reviews or the stars in the reviews  😀 - if I did I would have avoided La Strada at Sadler's Wells and missed out on an absolutely firecracker performance from Johan Kobborg, whose technique, energy and finesse in his solos outclassed many high profile stars half his age: it was like seeing Vadim Muntagirov, Francesco Gabriele Frola and Roman Mejia combined in 1 person! O..M..G!

 

Former ENB Lead Principal Alina Cojocaru was glorious and beautiful in La Strada as expected of course, but the major revelation was how incredible Kobborg still is technically, and his artistry and acting were of course outstanding, as ever.

 

However I'm still in 2 minds about this production because of the videos from both CND and ENB I've seen and the fact that his style isn't really my thing. I know friends who would love it for the exact same reason that I hesitate. (Unfortunately my friends are abroad and can't travel to Sadler's Wells right now.) But I haven't ruled it out yet.

Edited March 29 by Emeralds

[LinMM]

Well it’s not too long and you would enjoy the music even the added bits are good!! 
 

 

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I always like to judge something for myself anyway not rely on critics views ….some of whom do not have that much experience of ballet and dance either as observers or doers. 

This ✔️ 

I’d also add that, for me at least, to assess a full work created for stage on the basis of a video clip or hearsay might not be the best way to make a decision about whether or not to see it. If I had followed this route there is a whole slew of Ashton and MacMillan works I would have missed out on.

In respect of this version of Inger’s Carmen it showcases some of the outstanding dance talent currently residing at ENB which is reason enough to see it more than once. 

Edited March 29 by San Perregrino

[Emeralds]

That's true about the clips (or even a DVD!) not being the same as seeing it live. That's why I've changed from being "no way" to "maybe" - especially after finding out that Suzuki and Souza would be in it. Sadly, Suzuki's dates aren't the ones I can do and now the rail industrial action has ruled out a chunk of possible shows. There is one show left which I could do and am debating....

Edited March 29 by Emeralds

[Ian Macmillan]

Lin: You should have been able to see the Times review in today's Links as it had the Share suffix.  But here it is again:
 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d0ab88e5-1abd-409c-be3e-25bea204ea9e?shareToken=9ba92c69b604f1ab2e45fad104e1a84f

 

 

[LinMM]

Thanks for that Ian Macmillan! 

The Times review is really quite favourable as a whole. 
I don’t think either character Carmen or Don Jose’ are particularly likeable or rather sympathetic in this version. 
I’ve not seen the opera! 🙄

But am assuming the Carmen in that is more alluring  seductress than pure sexual vamp that Ingers Carmen seems to be! 
Although the ending is well known I felt I should have felt more shocked when Carmen is stabbed but didn’t. 
And you almost feel sorry for the slumped figure of Don Jose’ at the end  not so good if Inger is supposedly trying to highlight domestic violence!! 
But then is Carmen really the vehicle for this anyway? She is too feisty and in control of her own destiny to be truly such a figure…but as the object of man’s plain jealousy yes. 
 

[Dawnstar]

8 hours ago, MAX said:

Bad reviews in general, I was waiting to read them before deciding to buy a ticket or not, it's now clear that I will not go

 

I had already decided not to go but having now read all the reviews on today's Links they have reinforced my decision, rather than made me regret it. As soon as ENB started posting rehearsal clips I could see that it wasn't at all the sort of choreography that I would like, plus I can't make either of Frola's 2 performances & he was the only reason I contemplated seeing it in the first place.

[LinMM]

Am a bit annoyed that Matthew Palluch has written a review for a different publication which I cannot access. I usually like to know what he thinks! 

[Jan McNulty]

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Am a bit annoyed that Matthew Palluch has written a review for a different publication which I cannot access. I usually like to know what he thinks! 

 

If you mean Broadway World I don't know why you can't see it.  This publication is not paywalled so should be readily available to you.  I don't even think you have to sign up to see it.

[LinMM]

When I go to site ( just had another go) a page comes up with two blank boxes but nothing is written! I assume these two boxes could be for name and then email but haven’t a clue! 
Will try again and fill in the boxes but there’s no indication of what they are for!! 
I am doing this on my phone so don’t know whether that makes a difference 

Edited March 30 by LinMM

[Emeralds]

28 minutes ago, LinMM said:

When I go to site ( just had another go) a page comes up with two blank boxes but nothing is written! I assume these two boxes could be for name and then email but haven’t a clue! 
Will try again and fill in the boxes but there’s no indication of what they are for!! 
I am doing this on my phone so don’t know whether that makes a difference 

Could your phone be having trouble loading all the pictures, ads and various pop up items, LinMM? Broadway World seems to have a lot of colour "extras". I think I've seen a phone with the same problem for Broadway World. Have sent you a DM to try to get you access to it.

[LinMM]

I’ve tried three times and everything is veiled so screen hidden the two boxes definitely didn’t want to take my name but could see dimly that there were a lot of things to accept but couldn’t fill in anyway…very peculiar. 
Anyway thanks for sending his review …..which I’m mostly at odds with on this occasion but he seems to like this type of dance more though we agree on some of the dramatic points! 
I seem to agree more with Charlotte Krasner on the whole from Seeing Dance? 

Edited March 30 by LinMM

[Jan McNulty]

59 minutes ago, LinMM said:

When I go to site ( just had another go) a page comes up with two blank boxes but nothing is written! I assume these two boxes could be for name and then email but haven’t a clue! 
Will try again and fill in the boxes but there’s no indication of what they are for!! 
I am doing this on my phone so don’t know whether that makes a difference 

I’ve just clicked on the link from my iPhone and it comes up with no issues at all.

[Roberta]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I’ve tried three times and everything is veiled so screen hidden the two boxes definitely didn’t want to take my name but could see dimly that there were a lot of things to accept but couldn’t fill in anyway…very peculiar. 

 

 Broadway World I had one of those ghastly pop up menu things which hid half the screen on my laptop and I have no idea which choice is on and which is off if ticked. Got rid of by clicking the black oval shape at the bottom (rather than the red) so no idea if I've accepted or rejected all the cookies which invade my privacy! Nowhere wanted my name though. 

 

Have you read the piece now? If not I can screenshot or cut and paste and PM you. 

[LinMM]

Yes I have Emeralds very kindly sent it to me. Matthew seems to have enjoyed it!!