The Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces are currently being refurbished, as we work to bring you a brand new cafe, bar, shop and Ticket Office. Find out more

Carmen

PAST EVENT
27 –⁠ 28 May 2022, 7pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Performance & dance
£30 ⁠–⁠ £90
past event
past event
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Ballet superstar Natalia Osipova in Carmen
Rick Guest

Prosper Mérimée’s timeless story of love, passion and murder leaps offstage to merge with the real lives of the show’s dancers in this contemporary adaptation.

Bird&Carrot presents the London premiere of Carmen, starring international ballet superstars Natalia Osipova (The Royal Ballet) and Isaac Hernández.

Created by acclaimed Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman, this show allows the audience to see the characters of Carmen, Don José and Escamillo not only on stage, but also offstage, where dancers foster their own relationships.

The famous story that they have been re-enacting is slowly entering their everyday lives. Using hilarious quick changes, the dancers move in and out of character, making reality less certain.

With strong physical movement language, theatricality and a quirky sense of humour, this production bursts with energy and shines a new light on multi-award winning Natalia Osipova.

Veldman says: ‘I’d like the audience to truly get to know Natalia Osipova, showing her strength, vulnerabilities, passion and insecurities on stage. When I look at Natalia, I can’t help but think of Carmen. I want to tell a story of the actress on and offstage and to show the audience a miracle of transformation.’

Presented in association with Bird&Carrot

Need to know

Age recommendation

For ages 10+

Bag checks are in place for this performance.

Dates & times

27 –⁠ 28 May 2022, 7pm
Approximate run time: 1 hour 35 mins.
Run times may vary by up to 20 minutes as they can be affected by last-minute programme changes, intervals and encores.

Price

  • Standard entry£30 ⁠–⁠ £90*
  • Concessions25%**


* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.

** Limited availability. Read about concessions.

Tickets can only be sold through the Southbank Centre and our authorised agents, and can't be resold. You can return your tickets to the Southbank Centre for a credit voucher up to 48 hours before the event. Tickets resold on any third-party platforms will become invalid.

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Venue

Queen Elizabeth Hall

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Check here for our current guidance

The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open daily from 10am.

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Our address is: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. The nearest tube and train stations within 5-7 minutes walk are Waterloo (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines) and Embankment (District & Circle lines). There are also lots of bus routes with stops 2-5 minutes from our venues. For more information on getting here by road, rail or river.

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Pre-booking online is recommended. Check our website on the day for returns. There’s no need to print your e-ticket – just show your phone to our Visitor Assistants on entry.

Some free events don't require a ticket. Found an event labelled FREE on our website with no way to book? Simply turn up on the day.

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Your e-ticket will be sent to you seven days before the event date from [email protected]. If you don't receive your e-ticket, and it's not in your junk or spam folder, please get in touch. 

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More information

Find out all you need to know about tickets, including concessions, group bookings, returns, credit vouchers and more, via the link below.

Frequently asked questions

Get an overview of the seating layout of Queen Elizabeth Hall by downloading our seating plan.

Download seating plan

Toilets

An accessible toilet is located in the foyer.

A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1 Royal Festival Hall next to the JCB Glass Lift, for the exclusive use of disabled people who need personal assistance to use the toilet.

The facility includes a height-adjustable bench, tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower. The phone outside the Changing Places toilet will connect you with a member of staff, who can provide you with the key. The facility is open daily 10am – 11pm.

Cloakroom

The Queen Elizabeth Hall cloakroom is closed. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the Queen Elizabeth Hall, so please leave large bags at home.

We're cash-free

Please note that we're unable to accept cash payments across our site. 

For step-free access from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating (excluding rows A to C) and wheelchair spaces in the Rear Stalls, plus Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer and the Purcell Room, please use the Queen Elizabeth Hall main entrance.

To reach this entrance, enter the Royal Festival Hall via the Southbank Centre Square Doors. Take the JCB Glass Lift to Level 2 and exit to the Riverside Terrace. Turn right to find the Queen Elizabeth Hall main entrance.

You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2. 

For access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating rows A to C and wheelchair spaces in the Front Stalls, please enter via the Artists' Entrance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road (Level 1).

Talk to a member of staff at the auditorium entrance if you have a disability that means you can’t queue, or you need extra time to take your seat. They can arrange priority entry for you as soon as the doors open.

Please bear with us while we update our access map to reflect the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces. The step-free routes remain the same.

Download step-free access map

More about Access and facilities

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