She's a Femme Fatale

Georges Bizet's Carmen is one of the most popular, durable operas of all time. The story of Don Jose's fall from grace while under the spell of the alluring gypsy, Carmen, has sparked endless variations and interpretations in film, cartoons, advertisements and even a recent 3-D Blu-ray release. The 1943 musical Carmen Jones transplanted the story to a World War II setting and was filmed with an all-black cast in 1954. Beyonce took the retelling a step further, playing the title role in Carmen: A Hip Hopera. Tonight at 8 p.m. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis presents the original Carmen, stripped of the revisionist trappings, in the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University Campus (130 Edgar Road) with St. Louis’ own mezzo-soprano sensation Kendall Gladen in the title role. Tickets range from $25 to $120. For all the details go to www.opera-stl.org.
Sat., May 19, 8 p.m.; Wed., May 23, 8 p.m.; Fri., May 25, 8 p.m.; Thu., May 31, 8 p.m.; Fri., June 8, 8 p.m.; Sun., June 10, 7 p.m.; Wed., June 13, 1 p.m.; Sat., June 16, 8 p.m.; Tue., June 19, 8 p.m.; Sat., June 23, 1 p.m., 2012