Carmen 3D

Getting 3D cameras on stage at the Royal Opera House, affording a better view than the most expensive seat in the house, is a very welcome prospect. Add the evergreen appeal of Bizet’s ‘Carmen’, packed with highly strung Iberian passions and myriad hum-along tunes, and this is an attractive package. Moreover, this co-production between the ROH and 3D specialists RealD achieves precisely what it sets out to do, providing a sympathetic record of a performance through an immersive sense of stagecraft, and just enough 3D wow-moments (watch out for that confetti!) without stooping to mere gimmickry.

On that level, you can’t really fault it, but it has to be admitted that this is very much a working evening at Covent Garden rather than a gala occasion. The set design looks slightly threadbare, the non-stellar cast variable, and Christine Rice’s somewhat effortful Carmen seemingly lacks the firebrand personality the role requires. The cognoscenti may perhaps demur, but for anyone testing the operatic waters, this still has a lot going for it.