Royal Ballet and Opera: Carmen

The Royal Ballet and Opera bring Georges Bizet's Carmen to the Taliesin Arts Centre on Saturday 14 November, screened in the Event Cinema. It's a production by Damiano Michieletto, sung in French with English subtitles, and it runs for 215 minutes, so you'll want to settle in for the full evening.

Most of us know the story: the fiercely independent Carmen, the Spanish sun, and Don José, who can't resist her despite her warning not to fall in love with her. Michieletto's production leans into the darker side of that—the lust, the violence, and the destructive rage that runs through the score. It first ran at the Royal Opera House in 2023, and this is its return to the screen.

Ginger Costa-Jackson takes the title role, and Russell Thomas plays the jealous, despairing Don José. Sesto Quatrini returns to conduct the music, which is as electrifying and sensual as you'd expect from Bizet. The whole thing is sung in the original French, with English subtitles to keep you on track.

It starts at 7:00pm at the Event Cinema within the Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea. Tickets are £15.50 full price, with under-26s and students getting in for £5.00.