Event information
Cape Town Opera is bringing Bizet’s Carmen, one of the world’s most loved operas, to the stage in a searing new production.
Under the bold directorial vision of Steven Stead, this production is set against the turbulent backdrop of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), intensifying the opera’s themes of power, desire and defiance. At the helm of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Tim Murray drives the score with electrifying momentum, leading a full ensemble of singers, dancers and orchestra in a production of thrilling scale and dramatic force.
Carmen, a fiercely independent factory worker, sets her sights on the soldier Don José and turns his life upside down. After seducing him into helping her escape arrest, José’s career and moral compass unravel, drawing him into the dangerous world of smugglers. But when Carmen’s passion shifts to the charismatic bullfighter Escamillo, José’s obsession spirals into jealousy and despair. Outside the bullring, their story reaches its tragic, inevitable end.
With striking costumes by Maritha Visagie and a powerful set design by Greg King, Cape Town Opera’s Carmen is a visually arresting and musically charged theatrical event not to be missed.