Carmen

1 to 10 June, St James Theatre, Wellington, then Auckland and Christchurch until 22 July Gritty, sexy and dangerous, the New Zealand Opera delivers a raw and ravishing production of one of the world’s best- known operas under the tutelage of big- name Australian director Lindy Hume. Composed by George Bizet and first performed in 1875, the four- part libretto scandalized early audiences with its immorality and the tragic death of its protagonist on stage. The New Zealand Opera production is set in Spain in the late 1800s and the role of Carmen is performed by Georgian- born Nino Surguladze, one of the leading mezzo- sopranos of the modern generation. nzopera.com