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The National Theatre has announced new productions for all three South Bank stages this summer: Alan Bleasdale’s Boys from the Blackstuff and Mnemonic in the Olivier theatre and The Grapes of Wrath in the Lyttelton theatre, alongside the previously announced The Hot Wing King in the Dorfman theatre.
Sometimes you hear a singer who embodies a role so completely that it’s hard to imagine her in anything else. That’s how I felt about the wonderful mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina, who’s singing the title role in the Met’s new production of Bizet’s CARMEN, which I saw at its second performance. Her portrayal was as full-bodied as her voice and she sizzled, filling up the stage as much as one can imagine. It’s little surprise that she’s considered the Carmen of the moment, having appeared in seven other productions (with two to come).
Despite flaws, Mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina and conductor Daniele Rustioni manage to make this 2024’s first unmissable opera.
Review of the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Bizet’s ‘Carmen,’ starring Rafael Davila and Aigul Akhmetshina
Carrie Cracknell's new production opens December 31.