North West End UK
'As with her set, Kent is able to achieve incremental gains from the long-standing relationship between the cast’s principals whose strong chemistry adds to the powerful, emotional, and heartbreaking scenes, with Sumbadze delivering a strong portrayal of a self-interested man driven by obsession with his strong vocal reminiscent of a young Pavarotti. '
North West End UK
'Sumbadze’s towering presence added weight to his upstanding Catholic persona at the start which soon begins to tumble as he is drawn deeper into Carmen’s cleverly crafted web from which there can be no escape, with his subsequent breakdown believable and his powering finale with Matveeva exquisite as the hunter becomes the hunted in a bullfight to the bitter end. '
Mancunian Matters
'Don José (Davit Sumbadze) was another highlight. His transformation from the uptight soldier torn between duty and lust in Act 1 to the obsessive scorned lover we see in Act 4 was spectacularly done. The latent darkness in his character was gradually exposed throughout Act 2 and 3 to perfectly set up the opera’s inevitable tragedy '
