Carmen Jones

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Carmen Jones

Full-Length Musical, Drama  /  6w, 10m

By Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on Meilhac and Halevys adapation of Prosper Mérimée's Carmen
Music by Georges Bizet

Set in a Southern town during World War II, Oscar Hammerstein's adaptation of Carmen captures the romance and tragedy of Bizet's melodic opera with a distinctly American flavor.

Image: 2018 Classic Stage Company Production (Joan Marcus)

Carmen Jones

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 10m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature), Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades

  • Winner! Three 1992 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical
    Winner! Four 2019 Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Revival
    Nominee: Four 2019 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical

Details

Summary

In a Southern town during World War II, an army corporal named Joe is stationed near a parachute factory where Carmen Jones is employed. Fickle and flirtatious, Carmen manages to steal Joe away from his fiancée, and the army as well, and they run off to Chicago together. But Carmen loses interest in Joe when she meets and successfully woos Husky Miller, a prize fighter on his way to the top. Mad with jealousy, Joe waits for Carmen outside the stadium the night of Husky's big fight to make a last desperate plea for her love. When she denies him resolutely, he stabs her to death in a rage of passion, to the eerie accompaniment of the crowd inside the stadium cheering Husky's victory.

History
Carmen Jones opened at the Broadway Theatre on December 2, 1943, starrring Muriel Smith as Carmen. The production ran for 503 performances. Otto Preminger directed a film adaptation of the musical in 1954, starring Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte and Pearl Bailey. In 2018, the Classic Stage Company revived Carmen Jones, under the direction of John Doyle, with Anika Noni Rose in the title role.
Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period 1940s/WWII
  • Setting

    The American South and Chicago, 1943.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Packs a terrific emotional punch… Carmen Jones has endured because of its sublime balance of memorable music and strong dramatic impetus.” — Telegraph

“Carmen Jones can still be exciting... a daring piece of liberal and liberated theatre.” — Variety

“Hammerstein's lyrics are as right and renovating as his book.” — Time Magazine

Photos

  • Carmen Jones

    Image: 2018 Classic Stage Company Production (Joan Marcus)

Music

Music Samples

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Moderate
  • Vocal DemandsDifficult
  • Orchestra Size X-Large
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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Authors

Oscar Hammerstein II

Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II was born on July 12, 1895 in New York City. His father, William, was a theatre manager and for many years director of Hammerstein's Victoria, the most popular vaudeville theatre of its day. His uncle, Arthur Hammerstein, was a successful Broadway producer ...
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Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet (1838-75) was born Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet in Bougival near Paris, and trained at the Paris Conservatoire under the French composer Jacques Halévy. Bizet's operas include Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers, 1863), La Jolie Fille de Perth (Fair Maid ...

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