WAYWARD women, jealous men, stabbings and lots of drama... it sounds like any TV soap opera.
But this was Blackpool Grand Theatre on Sunday night (Oct 28) and the very welcome return of the Chisinau National Opera with Bizet's Carmen.
Red-blooded to say the least, Carmen herself was all that she should be and passionately played by the beautifully voiced Tatiana Busuioc.
Powerful tenor Akhmed Agadi easily made the role of her sexy soldier suitor Don Jose his own and Petru Racovita was hearty and charismatic as the bullfighter Escamillo who seduces Carmen away from him.
Natalie Josan was also particularly noteworthy as the angelic-voiced Micaela who loses her man to the more obvious charms of Carmen.
But this was a company triumph with all the separate parts expertly combining to make a wonderful evening of song, dance and big sets with a little help from children of Blackpool's own Tiptoes Dance School.
The four-act opera also showed to a packed house on Monday night and then it was all change for a Tuesday night performance of Puccini's Turandot.
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