Irina Kolesnikova stars in Her Name Was Carmen at the London Coliseum
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
THE celebrated St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is returning to the London Coliseum to present the world premiere of Her Name Was Carmen starring Irina Kolesnikova – from August 23 to August 28, 2016 (five performances only).
This new take on an old classic transforms Mérimée’s story by setting it in a refugee camp on the fringes of Europe, bringing new drama to the piece.
The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre aims to show how art can respond to one of humanity’s most urgent crises. The ballet has drawn on Irina’s recent experience visiting refugee camps in the Balkans to express timeless themes of hope, despair, suffering and a desire for a better life.
Her Name Was Carmen is a deadly cocktail of passion and tragedy. After her family becomes a target for cruel people smugglers, the free spirited and feisty Carmen finds shelter in a refugee camp. Against this backdrop of despair, the naïve camp guard Jose and the local smuggler’s boss both fall under her spell and so the love triangle implodes.
This new full-length ballet is in two acts brought to life by 50 dancers in modern dress, set to a re-orchestrated version of Bizet’s much-loved score played live by the orchestra of the English National Opera.
Irina Kplesnikova said: “Her Name Was Carmen distils the emotional directness of Bizet’s opera and speaks to timeless themes of hope and despair, suffering and a thirst for a better life. I hope this ballet will live in on in the hearts of the audience and will urge them to support and help refugees in some small way.”
Her Name Was Carmen has music by Georges Bizet, orchestration by Murat Kabardokov, libretto by Roman Smirnov, choreography by Olga Kostel and set and costumes by Vladimir Firer.
Tickets: Stalls: £95.00, £80.00, £60.00; Dress Circle: £116.50, £81.50, £66.50; Upper Circle: £66.50, £46.50; Balcony: £26.50, £16.50 – available from the box office on 020 7845 9300 (£3.50 booking fee applies) or online at www.eno.org/ (£1.75 booking fee applies).
NB: A pound from every ticket sold will go to support Oxfam’s work with refugees.
Time: 7.30pm.