Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review begins here: at Theatre Royal Brighton, where Acosta Danza delivered one of the most extraordinary evenings of dance the city has seen this season.
This Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review reflects the brilliance of Acosta Danza’s performance.
From the moment Acosta Danza took the stage, the air in the theatre changed. This is not a show you passively watch. It pulls you forward — and keeps you there.
Brighton Journal attended the opening night, 29 April 2026. Carlos Acosta’s Carmen continues at Theatre Royal Brighton until Saturday 2 May.
Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton Review: The First Act
The Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review showcases a remarkable interpretation of a classic tale.
The opening act moves with a relentless intensity that refuses distraction.
The red circle dominates the stage — part bullring, part ritual space, part inevitability. The corps de ballet fill it with movement that feels charged, almost volatile. Every entrance resets the energy. Every exit leaves a trace.
Carmen — Amisaday Naara on opening night — is magnetic from her first appearance. Her technique is extraordinary, but it is the intention behind every movement that commands attention. The question that stays with you: where was she trained?
In this Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review, we explore the deep emotions portrayed by the dancers.
The Bull — Paul Brando — transforms the production’s entire dramatic structure. Not just a character, but a force. A narrator. A presence that watches, shapes and ultimately controls the outcome. Acosta’s decision to position him as Master of Ceremonies across the whole narrative is the production’s masterstroke.
By the interval, the word passing between audience members was unanimous: extraordinary.
The Second Act: Passion in Brighton
This Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review highlights the transformation of character through dance.
Where the first act is relentless, the second becomes something more intimate — and more devastating.
The pas de deux between Carmen and Don José carries echoes of the Kenneth Macmillan classical tradition — tender and precise before it unravels completely. The choreography here — bodies intertwining like patterns drawn in motion, in direct conversation with the audience — earned the longest sustained applause of the night.
Theatre Royal Brighton was not a quiet room. Applause broke through scenes. Bravos came from the stalls. Our applause did not stop. This is the kind of response that a company earns — not requests.
The Shchedrin-Bizet score felt entirely right for the space. Martin Yates’s additional arrangements alongside the Cuban compositions from Denis Peralta and Yhovani Duarte make the music feel as choreographed as the movement — nothing arriving at the wrong moment, nothing held back.
The Cast Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton
The Brighton run features three casts across five performances — a rotation that gives the production a different energy each night.
Opening night saw Amisaday Naara as Carmen alongside Alejandro Silva as Don José and Paul Brando as both Escamillo and the Bull — a double role that demands extraordinary physical range, carried with complete authority.
Our Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review applauds the diverse talents of the cast.
Adria Díaz takes Carmen on Thursday 30 April and Saturday evening, with Alexander Arias as Don José. Thalía Cardín performs the role on Friday 1 May.
The corps de ballet — Melisa Moreda, Cynthia Laffertté, Edgar Quintero, Ofelia Semanat, Anthony Quevedo, Daniela Francia, Noel Sánchez, Wendy Friol, Heidy Núñez and Alejandro Figueredo — give the tavern scenes their particular electricity. Ensemble work that feels genuinely dangerous in the best possible sense.
Set and costumes by Tim Hatley, lighting by Peter Mumford and video design by Nina Dunn make this a production that works at every level — nothing overstated, everything precisely considered.
What Carlos Acosta Has Created
This Carmen does exactly what it promises — and more.
This Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review emphasises the emotional depth of the performance.
It strips the narrative to its core: desire, betrayal, inevitability. No fixed period. No unnecessary detail. Just three people and an ending that was written before the curtain rose.
This is not ballet at a distance. It is physical, theatrical and emotionally direct — a production that moves between precision and raw energy with complete control. And for the duration of the performance, nothing else exists outside it.
The Verdict Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton
Carlos Acosta’s Carmen is one of the most extraordinary evenings of dance Brighton has seen this season.
In this Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review, we celebrate the energy and passion of the dancers.
The beauty. The aesthetics. The direction. The casting. The technique of the dancers. Everything precisely right. This is what it looks like when a company at its peak brings a story it knows completely to a room that was ready for it.
Bravo. Without hesitation.
There Is Still Time
Catch the excitement in this Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review before it concludes.
Carlos Acosta’s Carmen continues at Theatre Royal Brighton — three more performances this week:
📅 Tonight — Wednesday 30 April at 7:30pm
📅 Friday 1 May at 7:30pm
📅 Saturday 2 May — 2:30pm matinee & 7:30pm evening
📍 Theatre Royal Brighton, New Road, Brighton BN1 1SD 🎟 Book tickets now
Don’t miss out on this Carlos Acosta Carmen Brighton review and secure your seat!
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