Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Wednesday – until Saturday 18th April 2026
Reviewed by Rachel Clark
5*****
The curtain was down, but you could see a large red circle lit up, then the curtain went up. What a dramatic start to the show, Bull stood in a vertical circle with a stunning background it is hard to explain, you must see it for yourself.
This performance is stunning the dancers – absolutely incredible and the stage dramatic. It was just wonderful, it’s a powerful story, but it made you feel calm and warm, it was beautiful.
This is the classical story of Carmen. Carmen is a free spirted woman that falls in love with a solider, Don Jose who is naïve. Carmen ends the relationship when she starts to see a bullfighter Escamillo causing Don Jose to kill her is an act of jealousy. This production has plenty of vibrancy and energy. Acosta has made this even more powerful with the ballet and Latin twist provided by the Cuban dancers.
Carlos Acosta has extended Carmen into a full length ballet version set to Radian Shcedrin’s orchestration of Bizet’s opera score with a Cuban twist. He worked with a creative team of Tim Hatley and Peter Mumford for this production and also joined by Nina Dunn. Carlos Acosta was born in Havana in 1973 and became English National Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer at 18. Carlos retired from classical ballet in 2016 but in 2015 founded Acosta Danza – Acosta Danza is a Sadler’s Wells International Associate Company.
Acosta’s production always brings flamboyancy and elegance to the stage, and lots of energy and delightful costumes and all choregraphed by himself. Carmen was performed by Amisaday Naara, Don Jose – Alejandro Silva and Escamillo – Paul Brando and not forgetting Bull – Aniet Pazos. Their dancing was incredible I could not take my eyes of them. Amisaday Naara was truly talented, as they all were, the ballet was top class to say the least- I was in awe.
I have only ever seen Carmen as an opera and to me this was far superior than any other performances of Carmen I have seen, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I felt lifted from when I had walked into the theatre to when I left and had a buzz driving home from a wonderful evening.
The dancers got a standing ovation and well deserved to all that performed, the Corps de Ballet and Alexander Arias who performed Zuniga. The Production team did amazing and I honestly would love to see it again whilst it is in Aylesbury this week. A world class performance literally on my doorstep.