Carmen

By Georges Bizet, with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy • Mar. 26, 29 & Apr. 1, 3, 2022

Set in 1830 Seville, Spain, Carmen is a roller-coaster of lust, deception, and murder. Fiery free-spirit Carmen, who lives her life to the fullest, can have any man she wants. But when she seduces naïve Corporal Don José, she gets more than she bargains for.

Carmen works in a cigarette factory. When a knife fight with another employee leads to her arrest, she charms Corporal Don José into letting her escape. Like a moth drawn to a flame, Don José forsakes his military career and the innocent peasant girl Micaëla for a life on the lam with Carmen and a band of smugglers. Never one to settle down, the passionate Carmen gets bored with Don José and becomes involved with the glamourous, testosterone-filled bullfighter Escamillo. Left with nothing, Don José decides that if he can’t have Carmen, no one can.

Full of magnetic melodies, colorful costumes, and tragic twists, you’ll fall in love with George Bizet’s one-and-only Carmen.

Antony Walker conducts; Garnett Bruce directs.

Carmen (Zanda Švēde) is always the center of attention (photo credit: David Bachman)

Micaëla (Danielle Pastin) and Don José (Scott Quinn) - (photo credit: David Bachman)

Escamillo (Michael Todd Simpson) sings of the glories of being a toreador (photo credit: David Bachman)

Carmen (Zanda Švēde) uses her charms to convince Don José (Scott Quinn) to let her escape (photo credit: David Bachman)

Frasquita (Véronique Filloux) and Dancäire (Yazid Gray) - (photo credit: David Bachman)

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