CARMEN: till 23 August
Newcastle Under Lyme
A coproduction with Octagon Theatre, Bolton
CARMEN: Georges Bizet New Libretto by Chris Monks
New Vic: Tkts 01782 717962
Runs: 2h 20m, one interval, till 23 August, then at the Octagon 27 August - 20 September (details www.octagonbolton.co.uk, Tkts 01204 520661)
Review: Rod Dungate 1 August 2003
Love opera? Love theatre but hate opera? Just want a good evening out of light entertainment? Want an evening of serious Music Theatre, passion and tragedy but can't stand light entertainment? All, none or some of these? Then this top-rate production is definitely for you.
I watched Chris Monks' stylish production of Figaro last year with great pleasure. This year he directs Carmen (a slightly reworked revival of his 1998 production): it's even better than the Figaro last year and I didn't think that would be possible.
The remarkable artistic success of this Carmen lies in its feeling of unity, 21st Century musicality and accessibility. In the intimate New Vic acting space the singers' voices are not amplified (as in opera) but their vocal technique is much more to do with today's musical style (in which voices usually are amplified). The result is a user-friendly, thrilling piece of music theatre in which the passionate and tragic love story zooms through, huge and as if it were written yesterday. That odd and thrilling grey area between what's opera and what's musical is significantly explored and developed by Monks in this work. Yet he and his team make it all look so easy and such fun and that's the mark of a visionary.
As with others of his updated operas, Monks reworks the pieces from the inside yet retains both the spirit and musical genius of the originals. Hence Bizet's story of soldiers, toreadors and cigarette girls becomes the story of Johnny Jay (disaffected soldier), Carmen (tough and tarty super-market worker) and Tony Amor, ace goal scoring footballer (Toreador).
Kirsty Malpass and Jason McCann make a super leading pair (Carmen and Johnny). Malpass physically fits her part well and appears comfortable and natural in it. She has a fine singing voice and performs Bizet's well-known arias with ease and a totally engaging lack of affectation. McCann has a light voice that's amazingly pure. The pair really score when singing together: and when singing together quietly their music hovers in the air like evening sunlight.
Matt Rawle is great value as 'Italian Stallion' Tony Amor. His first appearance as hot Italian super-stud all in white is deliciously OTT sexy (Beckham eat your heart out) but, again the production's tautness, his singing is accurate and a delight.
A word must be said about the rest of the ensemble. Here is, no question about it, first class acting and singing. Choruses are attacked with a sharp vigour and Monks's witty text can be heard clear as a bell.
Opera with all the pretentiousness turfed out: a tough passionate love story all generations can enjoy.
Lewis Tenant: Howard Gay
Michele: Siubhan Harrison
Fran: Gillian Kirkpatrick
Carmen: Kirsty Malpass
Johnny Jay: Jason McCann
Mr Duncan: James Millard
Les: Christian Newton
Lily: Carol Noakes
Tony Amor: Matt Rawle
Liz: Alice Redmond
Mary: Aimee Thomas
Remi: Dylan Williams
with
Katie Babester, Samantha Cantliff, Natalie Hall, Robyn Mather
Director: Chris Monks
Designer: Lis Evans
Musical Supervisor & Arranger: Jonathan Gill
Musical Director: Richard Atkinson
Lighting: Daniella Beattie
Sound: James Earls-Davis
Choreographer: Beverley Edmunds
Fights: Renny Krupinski
Assistant Director: Robert Marsden
Camera and VT Editing: Ray Johnson & Adam Johnson
Keyboards: Gareth Ellis
Double Bass: Steve Cooper
2003-08-02 09:58:13