Tony Winner Anika Noni Roses Stars As Carmen
75 years after its fiery passion first set Broadway alight, Oscar Hammerstein II's celebrated adaptation of Bizet's classic opera Carmen enjoys a brand new Off-Broadway revival. Transporting the action from 1800s Spain to America during WWII, the Classic Stage Company production stays true to the original, featuring an all African-American cast with Anika Noni Rose in the titular role. Rose returns to tread the boards once more, after winning a Tony Award for her brilliant performance in Broadway hit Caroline, or Change in 2004.
Set in the South as the war reaches its height overseas, the story follows the magnetic Carmen and her entanglement in a love triangle filled with the deadly combination of lust, jealousy and rage. When parachute factory worker Carmen works her wiles on "fly boy" Joe, he abandons his betrothed Cindy Lou to be with her. Yet Carmen meets Husky Miller, a boxer who can ultimately offer her a life of luxury, leaving Joe's obsessions to fester and culminate in tragedy.