• Venue Royal Opera House, London
  • Performance dates 29 October 2026 - 21 November 2026
  • Running time 3 hours 5 minutes (including interval)
  • Age guidelines Suitable for ages 8+. This production contains a depiction of murder and themes of a sexual nature and violence.

Book tickets for Carmen at the Royal Opera House and experience Bizet’s electrifying and sensual score, performed by an all-star cast.

Carmen at the Royal Opera House, London

An all-star cast brings Damiano Michieletto’s white-hot production to life, with Ginger Costa-Jackson and Ramona Zaharia in the fiery title role, alongside Russell Thomas and Valentyn Dytiuk as the jealous and despairing Don José. Sesto Quatrini conducts Bizet’s sensational score. Bizet and his librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy took the plot of Carmen from the popular novella of the same name by French writer Prosper Mérimée, who claimed to be inspired by a true story.

Carmen is sung in French with English surtitles, which are displayed on screens above the stage and around the auditorium.

Why see Carmen?

Set under the oppressive heat of the Spanish sun, Olivier Award-winning director Damiano Michieletto’s ‘simmering, naturalistic’ (Guardian) staging casts scorching light on the lust, violence and destructive desire of Bizet’s ever-popular opera.Drawing from the opera’s setting of Seville, Bizet’s unforgettable score boasts a host of Spanish-inspired melodies, including Carmen’s sensual ‘Habanera’ and ‘Seguidilla’ arias and Don José’s tender ‘Flower Song’, ‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ (The flower that you threw to me).

Carmen is the second most performed opera in the Royal Opera’s repertory, having been performed more than 600 times.

Book Carmen tickets

Carmen runs at the Royal Opera House on select dates from 29 October to 21 November 2026. Book early to secure your preferred seats.

In a remote Spanish town, the free-spirited Carmen declares that any man she loves should beware. But even she is unprepared for what happens when she decides to seduce police officer Don José. Though initially uninterested in Carmen’s charms, Don José – against the wishes of his mother and of Micaëla, the woman who loves him – soon abandons his respectable career for a life of danger with Carmen. But she soon grows weary of Don José’s possessiveness, longing to return to a life of independence. When Carmen turns her attention to the celebrated toreador Escamillo, Don José’s jealousy and despair threaten to violently erupt.

Performance Information

Tickets by Month
Oct 2026
Nov 2026

Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of Carmen?

  • Carmen: Ginger Costa-Jackson/Ramona Zaharia
  • Don José: Russell Thomas/Valentyn Dytiuk

The cast also includes: Adriana González, Simona Mihai, Alexander Vinogradov, Seohyun Go, Ellen Pearson, Giorgi Guliashvili, Emyr Lloyd Jones, Barnaby Rea, Sam Hird, William Spaulding

Who are the creative team of Carmen?

  • Composer: Georges Bizet
  • Libretto: Henri Meilhac, Ludovic Halévy
  • Director: Damiano Michieletto
  • Set Designer: Paolo Fantin
  • Costume Designer: Carla Teti
  • Lighting Designer: Alessandro Carletti
  • Dramaturg: Elisa Zaninotto

Important Notes

Suitable for ages 8+. This production contains a depiction of murder and themes of a sexual nature and violence.

Access performances

Audio described: 29 October (7pm), 31 October (12pm), 2 November (7:15 pm), 3 November (7:15 pm), 4 November (7.15 pm), 8 November (3pm), 10 November (7:15pm), 13 November (11.30am), 18 November (7.15 pm), 21 November (7:15 pm)

BSL interpreted: 8 November (3pm), 21 November (7.15pm)

Captioned: 21 November (7.15pm)

Relaxed performance: 8 November (3pm)

Content notes: There are gunshots in Act I with blank shots fired. These can be loud.

Language: Carmen is sung in French with English surtitles, which are displayed on screens above the stage and around the auditorium.

Venue Information

Royal Opera House , Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD

Nearest Tube or Train: Covent Garden (Piccadilly line), Leicester Square (Piccadilly line, Northern line)

Nearest Buses: 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 26, 68, 76, 77a, 91, 168, 171, 176, 188, 501(southbound only), 505, 521, X68 all go to the Aldwych.

Directions

Google Apple

Critics' reviews of Carmen

★★★★★ - Broadway World

★★★★ - The Guardian

★★★★ - Financial Times

★★★★ - The Telegraph

★★★★ - The Times

Frequently Asked Questions

Carmen is playing at the Royal Opera House in London
The running time of Carmen is 3 hours 5 minutes (including interval)
The age recommendations for Carmen are: Suitable for ages 8+. This production contains a depiction of murder and themes of a sexual nature and violence.
To buy official London Theatre tickets to Carmen, click on the Get Tickets button at the top of this page. You will be able to access the booking calendar to check live ticket availability and prices and see any exclusive offers or discounts. You will be purchasing tickets from an authorised retailer and member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers.
Yes, Carmen has matinee performances on the following days:

Carmen is sung in French with English surtitles, which are displayed on screens above the stage and around the auditorium.

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