Carmen Jones at Royal Festival Hall from 25 July 2007 directed by Jude Kelly

Carmen Jones at Royal Festival Hall from 25 July 2007 directed by Jude Kelly

Carmen Jones by Oscar Hammerstein II, with music by Georges Bizet, will be at the re-opened Royal Festival Hall, opening 31 July 2007, following previews from 25 July 07- running six weeks to 2 Sep 2007.

The fully staged, brand new production will be directed by Jude Kelly, with design by Michael Vale, choreography by Rafael Bonachela and musical direction by Simon Lee. Produced by Southbank Centre and Raymond Gubbay

Carmen Jones is the musical adaptation and update of Bizet's operatic score for Carmen, with an African-American setting. Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the book and dialogue, and the music, which is essentially Bizet's original score, was re-orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett.

Carmen Jones originally premiered in New York in 1943, running for over 500 performances. The show has not been seen in London for fifteen years. The award-winning film of Carmen Jones , which was directed by Otto Preminger and starred Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, was released in 1954.

The Royal Festival Hall production will boast a cast of soloists, chorus, actors and dancers, as well as a symphony orchestra of sixty players. The performances will be shared equally between the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia.