I’ve seen countless “Carmen” productions and the 2 most memorable were ballets. The first was many years ago on TV: Mats Ek’s version featured a foul-mouthed, cigar smoking heroine, a giant cigar/phallus, huge balls, Esperanto and some very intense and strange choreography. UCSB Arts & Lectures presented the second recently for 2 nights at the Granada Theatre, and it is destined to be one of the most outstanding performances of 2018 here in our fair city by the sea, maybe even ever. Madrid’s Compania Nacional de Danza put on a bold new interpretation by Johan Inger of this perennial favorite with spectacular dancing, music, lighting and set design that marks a new standard toward which other dance, opera and theatrical companies would do well to strive. We’re all familiar with the femme fatale who pays the ultimate price for chewing men up and spitting them out at her sexual whim, but Mr. Inger’s artistic vision and CND’s execution went beyond definitions like avant garde or ground-breaking into the realm of pure and captivating magic: visceral, stunning, sexy and tragic.
