Bravo to Woking’s New Victoria theatre for adding two operatic performances to this season’s listings. Madame Butterfly played on Friday 11 and Carmen on Saturday 12 March. These one-night-only events, billed as some of Ellen Kent’s ‘dazzling’ productions are currently on a 34-venue tour of the UK, bringing the most classical and enjoyable operas to culture-starved audiences around the country. Despite limited billing, Carmen attracted a large audience to Woking on Saturday night. There was a nice buzz going on in the restaurant where we ate pre-show, and the waiter struggled politely to find our 6pm reservation, as the restaurant was already full of well-dressed, wine-drinking folks enjoying the start of the evening.

Ellen Kent is renowned as one of the top opera and ballet producers in the UK, drawing on talent from eastern Europe, often using stunning outdoor locations and adding spectacle and passion to the performances. The glossy programme is fronted with a smouldering image of a gypsy Carmen, with hints of bosom-heaving sexual allure, befitting the role of the title character. Carmen’s popularity as an opera comes not just from the memorable score and classic operatic songs but its simple and tragic story of a woman driven by love, lust and desire. You often hear it said jokingly that Carmen is a slut, and it’s certainly true that the story line runs on her passion for Don Jose that runs from hot to cold when another lover comes on the scene, but it’s her desire for ‘freedom to love who she wants, or die’ that drives the narrative and is carried by the music.

As the orchestra warmed up I felt a tingle of excitement, preparing to get carried away by the musical performances, dazzling set and costumes. When the lights went down and the conductor (Vasyl Vasylenko) launched the orchestra into its first thrilling musical prelude, I was mesmerised by his superbly controlled direction, flamboyant hand gestures and swift baton commands, leading to high anticipation as the curtains rose for the first act … which sadly, left me rather underwhelmed. From the opening scene I found myself distracted by the gaps in the set and a wobbly colonnade, the certainly-not dazzling costumes and ill-fitting wigs on the lead characters. The choreography of the chorus seemed a little too fluid for the anticipated sharpness, pride and passion of Spanish dance, and I found myself watching an extra who didn’t seem to quite fit, nor quite know what she was doing or why she was there. That said, Carmen herself (Maria Davydova), was excellent; it was easy to believe why men adored her and the poor Don Jose fell under her spell, and her voice and body language was commanding enough to distract you from the surtitles.

The finale received a good response from the audience, who remained in their seats for the curtain calls, until the mostly Ukrainian cast lifted a Ukrainian flag and vibrantly sang the Ukrainian national anthem, bringing the entire audience to their feet to loudly clap and shout their support and solidarity for these brave performers. Not only was it incredibly moving, but it proved yet again that art and music crosses political divides and unites us all.

[Amanda Briggs, March 2022]