Carmen

Carmen is a French opera comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Merimee, first published in 1845, itself influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies (1824) by Alexander Pushkin. Merimee had read the poem in Russian by 1840 and translated it into French in 1852. The story is set in Seville, Spain, c. 1830, and concerns the eponymous Carmen, a beautiful Gypsy with a fiery temper. Free with her love, she woos the corporal Don Jose, an inexperienced soldier. Their relationship leads to his rejection of his former love, mutiny against his superior, and joining a gang of smugglers. His jealousy when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo leads him to murder Carmen. Since the 1880s it has been one of the world's most performed operas and a staple of the operatic repertoire. Carmen appears as number four on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America. This is a truly spectacular show, so dont miss out; buy your Carmen tickets here now!