Carmen

Performance Details

When September 18—28, 2025
Choreography Liam Scarlett
Where Lyric Opera House
Music Georges Bizet

From the choreographer of the critically acclaimed Frankenstein, the Joffrey presents the U.S. premiere of Liam Scarlett's Carmen, a tale of love, betrayal, and defiance set within the gritty confines of a cigarette factory in 1930s Spain.

Amid the chaos of a nation on the brink of civil war, the uncompromising and seductive Carmen, who insists on loving whom she chooses, meets Don José, whose consuming devotion ignites a blaze of passion and peril.

In this adaptation of Bizet's opera, Scarlett brings new intensity to a performance that pulsates with life—and ends in tragedy. With striking designs by Jon Bausor and Scarlett's signature focus on evocative storytelling, Carmen commands the stage into a tempest of desire and destruction, revealing the timeless story of a woman who dares to live on her own terms.

Choreographer and Composer

Liam Scarlett

Liam Scarlett was a British choreographer who created works for The Royal Ballet, Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and more.

Liam Scarlett Bio