A retelling of Georges Bizet's iconic, Spain-set opera, set in southern America during World War II, following Carmen, a parachute factory worker, caught in a love triangle with an airman and boxer.
From the producers: As the Second World War rages, parachute maker Carmen Jones wages her own quarrel involving an airman and a boxer. Using the score from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, this adaptation by Oscar Hammerstein II resets the story with an all African-American cast, and is the first major New York revival since its debut on Broadway 75 years ago.
"Carmen Jones," with music by Georges Bizet (orchestrated for Broadway by Robert Russell Bennett) and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II, was first produced on Broadway in 1943. The 1954 film was adapted by Hammerstein and Harry Kleiner. It was directed by Otto Preminger and starred Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. The musical has also been revived in London, running for a season in 1991 at London's Old Vic and most recently in London's Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre in 2007
Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose ("Caroline, or Change") starts in the title role. Rose last appeared on the New York stage in the 2014 Broadway revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" (earning an additional Tony nomination). She is also known for her work on the screen in "Dreamgirls," "The Princess and the Frog," and BET's "The Quad." Tony winner and CSC Artistic Director John Doyle ("Sweeney Todd," "The Color Purple") directs.
What is Classic Stage Company? CSC is an award-winning Off-Broadway company which is "committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience." Founded in 1967, the company performs in an intimate 199-seat venue near Union Square. More here.
