Carlos Acosta’s Carmen ignites Theatre Royal Brighton

Review: Carlos Acosta’s Carmen at Theatre Royal, Brighton

There was a palpable sense of anticipation at Theatre Royal Brighton on Wednesday evening as audiences gathered for the opening night of Carlos Acosta’s Carmen, brought to Brighton by the internationally celebrated Cuban dancer, artistic director, and choreographer Carlos Acosta and his Havana-based Cuban dance company Acosta Danza. By the final curtain, that anticipation had transformed into a deserved standing ovation for a production that is bold, sensual, muscular and full of heart.

Rather than offering a straightforward retelling of Bizet’s 19^th century enduring tale of desire, jealousy and destruction, instead, Acosta has stripped Carmen back to its raw emotional core and rebuilt it as a thrilling contemporary dance work infused with Cuban energy, flamenco intensity and classical discipline. This is not a polite revival of a familiar classic. The result is a production that honours the spirit of Carmen while confidently making it its own.

Set to Rodion Shchedrin’s celebrated orchestration of Georges Bizet’s iconic score, with additional musical elements woven through the production, Acosta’s Carmen pulses with rhythm and dramatic force. The tragic tale remains, the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier seduced by the wiles of a fiery gypsy, and his fall from grace due to abandoning his childhood sweetheart.

Familiar melodies from the original opera still ring out, most notably the Habanera and Toreador themes, but here they are given fresh life, while the production’s Cuban sensibility lends warmth, sensuality and percussive vitality. Having deserted his military duties, all is lost when the passionate Carmen has a change of heart and falls in love with a far more glamorous torero Escamillo, accompanied by a bevy of cheeky dancers who encourage their devotion. The denouement with a tragic death, following a sequence of complex yet magnificent pas de deux with Amisaday Naara, Alejandro Silva, and Paul Brando as Escamillo were spectacular.

Visually, the production designed by Tim Hatley is spare but striking, with a layered red and black minimalism also mirrored in the outfits of the dancers, yet still providing a rich tableau as a backdrop for this excellent production. Lighting by Peter Mumford and evocative projection design from Nina Dunn also serve to create staging that invokes atmosphere without clutter. Rather than relying on elaborate scenery, the dancers move elements of the equipment themselves to form a prison, a bar, a bullfight. The production trusts the dancers’ movements, shadow, light and image to conjure mood and place. It is a wise decision. The dancers command the stage so completely that very little else is needed.

Acosta Danza was founded by Acosta in 2015 to nurture and develop the extraordinary emerging dance talent of Cuba, and this company demonstrates that mission brilliantly. The ensemble work is exceptional with a young squad of playful, athletic and richly expressive performers. Throughout the evening, the corps de ballet shift effortlessly between fiery intensity and moments of wit and lightness, showing remarkable versatility. One memorable tavern sequence, incorporating flying wine bottles as part of the choreography, was particularly inventive, a unique touch that was sharp, playful and visually arresting, and serving to convey an increased intoxication in the assembled revellers.

Equally delightful was an effervescent take on the traditional Andaluz dance the Sevillanas beloved of every spring Feria, and which offered an opportunity to break away from Bizet’s score entirely to introduce castanets, fiesta rhythms and a flash of humour that lifted the audience. It was a reminder that Carmen, for all its tale of darkness, is also about vitality, celebration and irresistible sensuality. The Corps de Ballet were a key feature for sharing this dynamic with the audience including dancers Melisa Moreda, Cynthia Laffertté, Edgar Quintero, Ofelia Semanat, Anthony Quevedo, Daniela Francia, Noel Sánchez, Wendy Friol, Heidy Núñez, and Alejandro Figueredo.

Whilst the show wasn’t without its (minor) hitches, with the music stopping unexpectedly during a particularly tormented pas de deux, it was unimportant in the wider scheme of the show. At its heart, this is a story of passion and possession, and Acosta’s choreography doesn’t lose sight of the emotional stakes. Fast, intricate balletic footwork gives way to explosive leaps, daring lifts and intense, close physical partnering that captures longing, seduction, conflict and heartbreak. Every movement feels purposeful, and the dance sequences have been cleverly and considerately developed so that each duet pushes the drama forward.

The opening night belonged to Amisaday Naara in the title role. Her Carmen is magnetic and technically impressive. She is a playful, provocative force on the Theatre Royal, Brighton stage and fiercely self-possessed. With the slightest flick of the head or glance over the shoulder, she can suggest flirtation, challenge or disdain. But beyond the characterisation lies a formidable technique of dazzling athleticism, exquisite control and a commanding stage presence that makes it impossible to look elsewhere. This was a star turn, and I would argue one of the most sensuous and compelling interpretations of Carmen seen on the Brighton stage in recent years.

Her chemistry with the cast around her was equally compelling, particularly in the charged duets that chart desire turning towards jealousy and obsession. The emotional clarity of the storytelling means that even in silence, through movement alone, the narrative lands powerfully.

Equally well supported by a rotating cast over the night sat the Theatre Royal, Brighton and the remainder of the tour were Alejandro Silva this evening as Don Jose, and Paul Brando as Escamillo, with a newly developed role of Bull in this staging of Carmen, to create a different tension, in Carols Acosta’s own words “I have also given the Bull / Destiny a more prominent role by positioning him as a Master of Ceremonies across the whole narrative of the production”.

There is also something larger at work in this production: Acosta’s belief in dance as a living, evolving art form. Best known for his glittering international career, leaving Cuba as a young man, becoming the youngest-ever principal dancer at English National Ballet, through to his years at The Royal Ballet, and now as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Acosta has consistently challenged assumptions about who ballet is for and what it can become. Through Acosta Danza, he has created a company that is technically brilliant, culturally distinctive and artistically fearless. That spirit burns brightly in this production of Carmen.

This is a production full of heat, swagger, elegance and invention, passionate and melodramatic, contemporary without losing emotional depth, and visually striking without spectacle overwhelming substance. Brighton’s opening-night audience responded with rapturous applause and a standing ovation that felt well earned. If the first night is anything to go by, this is one of the most exhilarating dance productions to visit the city this year.

Carmen runs at Theatre Royal Brighton until Saturday 2 May, with evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Details

Carlos Acosta’s Carmen at Theatre Royal, Brighton

Venue: Theatre Royal Brighton, New Road, Brighton BN1 1SD

Dates: Wednesday 29 April to Saturday 2 May 2026 with evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Timings: The show lasts approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, including an interval.

Tickets: Tickets from £29.95 (plus booking fee). Group bookings of ten or more can be requested online or by calling 020 7206 1174.

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