British cultural press acclaims Luna Manzanares in "Carmen La Cubana"

August 9, 2018

Created by British stage director Christopher Renshaw, Carmen La Cubana is a version of versions, as it is inspired by both Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones and Bizet's celebrated French opera. The narrative line of both works now features new orchestration by Alex Lacamoire and Edgar Vero.

Renshaw and librettists Stephen Clark and Norge Espinosa moved the action described by Próspero Merimée to Cuba in 1958, where José (performed by Saeed Mohamed Valdés) belongs to Batista's armed forces. The character of Carmen (Luna Manzanares) embodies the anti-machismo content of this work due to the woman's rebellious and emancipated spirit.

According to The Independent, it is a "very fluid and dizzying staging full of energy, but what stands out most is the richness of the performances, in a completely Cuban cast, with very solid singers and suggestive and sensual dances."

The Stage understands that the main success of this work, similar in appearance to the great North American film musicals of the nineteen fifties, has been the influence of Cuban rhythms and dances: "Salsa, cha-cha-cha, rumba and mambo intermingle with the already known songs of the opera, and a similar hybrid spirit is perceived in the choreography, which embraces the multiple facets of dance in Cuba."

At another point in the enthusiastic review, The Stage praises the interpreter of Carmen, Luna Manzanares, whom they describe as seductive and qualified, to later add that "her beautiful vocal execution perfectly captures the aggression and libertarian spirit of the famous character."

Several other publications praised the irrepressible energy of the cast, and their joy and sensuality, although the work also rescues the tragedy of a free woman, and the repression of an entire era. Several media also highlighted the authority of Joaquín García's performance, in the role of José's antagonist and Carmen's new love, as well as highlighting the explosive choreography of Roclan González.

Carmen La Cubana premiered in Paris in 2016, and since then has had a triumphant tour through several European countries, in a round of successes insufficiently celebrated by Cuban media.