That’s what Peter Brook argued when, in 1981, he created La Tragédie de Carmen. But let’s be honest: for most opera companies, staging La Tragédie de Carmen is less about seeking dramatic truth than about the opportunity to sell Bizet’s famous tunes with fewer overheads, in a format lasting about half the duration of a regular Carmen. All four singers demonstrate that they are capable of taking their roles in a full-scale Carmen one day soon, but none comes out seeming like the finished article. Bizet’s Carmen is a hard show to bring off. •At Wilton’s Music Hall, London, until 14 November.

Source: The Guardian November 05, 2017 14:15 UTC