Carmen Wong is a new adaption of George Bizet’s iconic opera set in a Hong Kong of the 1970s. Developed for the French May and as part of the “Carmen 2025” programme celebrating the opera’s 150th anniversary, and premiering at the Hong Kong Peninsula, Carmen Wong was performed in a variety of staged and semi-staged versions throughout the year, including two staged performances at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in October 2025.
These staged performances featured Ashley Chui and Etta Fung as the two bar hostesses Carmen and Micaëla, Chen Yong as José and Isaac Droscha as the colonial policeman Escamillo, with Jaclyn Chiu on piano.
Musical selections from the adaption version:
The full version of Carmen Wong, complete with new score for chamber ensembles, was performed three times with three different casts at the Shenzhen School of Music.
This 90-minute version for five singers is set over two scenes and set in a bar. Carmen, Micäela and Mércedès are bargirls; Don José is a police officer who stumbles upon a criminal operation run by the gangster Escamillo.
The debut performance at The Peninsula Hotel’s Felix was accompanied by Hsu Wei-en on piano.
By condensing the story to its four principals, Carmen Wong maintains all the best-known music, while distilling the drama. It features narrations from the original novel, a modified story-line and lyrics.
L’Histoire de Carmen
L’histoire de Carmen is a 40-minute multimedia presentation offering a new rendition of the timeless story. Centred on selections from the opera, infused with narrative from the original novel by Prosper Mérimée (itself celebrating its 180th anniversary in 2025) – it brings to life one of Europe’s most fascinating literary characters. The open-air performance on 10 May 2025 for Opera Hong Kong and the Europe Union’s “Europe Day” featured Ashley Chui as Carmen, Chen Yong as Don José, Candace Chung as Micaëla and Alfred Lim as Escamillo. Ronald Cheung was on piano.
