In operatic dispute, Met Opera director and designers order names stripped from ‘Carmen’

NEW YORK (AP) — In a dispute of operatic proportions, the production team of Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera ordered their names stripped from programs over a restaging decision, and the company intends to bring back sets of a retired 2009 version.

Director Carrie Cracknell’s production opened on Dec. 31, 2023, in her Met debut, moving the action from early 19th century Seville, Spain, to a contemporary American industrial town. The character Escamillo is a rodeo star, not a bullfighter, in this staging.