Carmen. Ballet by Richard Wherlock, Theatre Basel

The ballet recounts the well-know story of the opera Carmen accompanied by Bizet’s beautiful music. In the opening scene we witness the dramatic stance of the matador, dancing alone in silence before the orchestra strikes up and Carmen arrives with the other women. There is a wonderful ensemble dance by the soldiers in the first act, with dramatic high leaps, perfectly synchronized, which the audience loved. The highlight of the performance is the most certainly the dance of the Toreros towards the end of the second act as they prepare for the bullfight. Three streams of sand pour from the roof and the dancers move in and around them, collecting the sand from the floor, and tossing it to the ground.  The second act also has a funny scene with the gypsies where we finally get to see Roderick George do some of his amazing steps – he really seems to leap higher than everyone else! As usual, throughout the ballet, the prima ballerina Ayako Nakano is a delight to watch.

However, I found the first half somehow lacking an element of vitality. While this may be due partly to the opera providing us with dramatic arias which the ballet must forego, there were certain dances that missed the mark. For example, the pas de deux where Carmen seduces Don José who has just freed her from prison seemed overly controlled, akin to a gymnastic exercise, and received no applause.

Nonetheless, Wherlock’s Carmen is highly acclaimed by the press. The critics described it as one of the most stirring performances of Wherlock’s career to date. So in spite of my reservations, this is certainly a performance worth seeing.

 Peerformances running through to 10 April. See www.theater-basel.ch/spielplan for  dates and start times.

Synopsis Carmen:

Carmen gets into a fight in the cigarette factory with one of the other women and lands in jail. The solder supposed to guard her, Don José, succumbs to her charms and allows her to escape. Carmen and the bullfighter, Escamillo meet and are immediately drawn to each other, but Carmen remains faithful to Don José. They run away together; Don José deserting the army and his betrothed Michaela. However, Carmen and Don José bicker constantly and when Escamillo arrives in the mountains and fights Don José, Carmen prevents Don José from killing Escamillo. Don José leaves to visiting his dying mother. On the day of the bullfight in Seville, Don José arrives seeking revenge. He kills Carmen when she refuses to go with him.

By Joanne Ralph