Screening of RBO Live's screen adaptation of Bizet's opera Carmen, directed by Damiano Michieletto, at the Phoenix Picturehouse.
Bizet's Carmen comes to the Phoenix Picturehouse on Tuesday 10 November, as part of the Royal Opera House's RBO Live 2026-27 season. It's a screen adaptation of the stage production, so you get the full opera on the big screen rather than a live performance in the room.
Damiano Michieletto directs this one, and he doesn't hold back on the darker side of the story. He puts the spotlight on the lust, the violence and the destructive desire that drive the plot, so it's less about the postcard version of Carmen and more about the friction between the characters. The cast is an all-star one: Ginger Costa-Jackson takes the title role as the fiery Carmen, and Russell Thomas plays the jealous, despairing Don José. Sesto Quatrini is back to conduct Bizet's score, which is as electrifying and sensual as you'd expect from this one, and it's his second time working with the company since his Royal Opera debut in 2023.
It's a long one, so clear your evening: the screening runs 215 minutes. That's over three and a half hours, so it's more of a full-night commitment than a quick trip to the cinema. If you're not familiar with the story, it's the one about the free-spirited Carmen and the soldier Don José, and it's one of the most famous operas ever written, so even if you've never seen a production before, you'll likely recognise the tunes.
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The Phoenix is a century-old cinema with two screens and a friendly upstairs bar, which is a handy spot to grab a drink before the lights go down. It's also home to 'Phoenix Nights', a series of cult classics handpicked by the cinema team, and a 'Kids' Club' presented with UNICEF. Carmen screens on 10 November, and the whole thing runs 215 minutes.
