Carmen – State Opera

Carmen – State Opera South Australia at Her Majesty’s Theatre

She’s the woman who turns every head – and breaks every rule.

Bizet’s Carmen returns in a bold new production that pulses with danger, desire and defiance. Emerging director Laura Hansford reimagines this operatic classic, diving deep into the revolutionary heart of its iconic heroine, a woman who refuses to be owned, whose fiery spirit ignites a tragic love story that still burns with relevance today.

Set in opera’s original 1825 Seville setting through a lens of maximalist surrealism, this is Carmen for our time: provocative, passionate and unapologetically powerful. Hansford challenges audiences to rethink the femme fatale, asking urgent questions about autonomy, obsession and the cost of living freely.

Featuring a powerhouse cast with South Australian Charlotte Kelso in the title role, Samuel Dale Johnson as Escamillo and Gerard Schneider as Don José, performed in French with English surtitles and accompanied by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Performing at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 17, 20, 22 and 24 October 2026. Tickets from $79. Book via Ticketek.