Opera North: Carmen / Trouble in Tahiti / Symphonic Dances at The Lowry
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
This November the hugely versatile and passionate Opera North return to The Lowry with two stunning shows. A scorching new production of Carmen will play alongside Trouble in Tahiti/ Symphonic Dances, a sparkly double bill of two Leonard Bernstein musicals.
Featuring some of the most famous music in opera, Carmen remains one of the most popular operas of all time. Written by French composer Georges Bizet and first performed in 1875, the opera continues to fascinate contemporary audiences with its themes of femininity, desire, violence and toxic masculinity.
This stunning new production of Carmen offers a fresh perspective on Bizet’s masterpiece. Director Edward Dick turns the original idea of Carmen – an opera by a man, based on a book by a man, about the demise of a man – on its head. Instead, the story is angled from a female perspective, telling the story of a woman on the margins of society and her struggle to survive in a toxic, male-dominated environment. American mezzo-soprano Chrystal E Williams makes her Opera North debut in the title role and American tenor Erin Caves sings Don José. Carmen plays at The Lowry on 10 and 12 November.
In complete contrast, the company bring a spectacular Bernstein double bill of music, dance and drama to The Lowry on 11 and 13 November.
The satirical Trouble in Tahiti brings jazz, musical theatre and the distinctively American sound of Hollywood and Broadway. Set in 1950s suburbia, Sam and Dinah appear perfectly settled in their little white house. But look a little closer and you’ll see the cracks appearing in the couple’s American Dream. Trouble in Tahiti perfectly combines Bernstein’s melodic genius with the glamour and pizzazz of the movies.
Trouble in Tahiti is paired with a new co-production, West Side Story Symphonic Dances. Conducted by Antony Hermus of Opera North with choreography by Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Dane Hurst, this brand new dance piece offers a response to the rhythms and themes of Bernstein’s iconic musical West Side Story. Packed with mambos, waltzes and cha-chas, dancers navigate the boundaries and walls of city life, as a way of exploring conflict and the drive to connect.
The double bill also features a short spoken-word performance, Halfway and Beyond, by writer and performer Khadijah Ibrahiim.
