Opera lovers in the north and south of the county have a golden opportunity to enjoy a high-class production, live from the Big Apple.

Tomorrow, Saturday, January 16th, Bizet’s Carmen will be beamed live on to the cinema screens at Cardigan’s Theatr Mwldan and the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

One of the most popular operas of all time, Carmen is about “sex, violence, and racism-and its corollary: freedom,” said Olivier Award-winning director Richard Eyre, about his new production of Bizet’s drama.

“It is one of the inalienably great works of art,” he added.

“It’s sexy, in every sense. And I think it should be shocking.”

Elina Garanca sings the seductive gypsy of the title for the first time at The Met, opposite Roberto Alagna as the obsessed Don José.

The company has a history of producing a highly successful, award-winning series of live performance transmissions into cinemas across the world.

Using state-of-the-art technology, The Met: Live will capture and transmit the on-stage action, using cameras from multiple view points, to cinema screens, making opera more accessible than ever before. The viewers will feel almost as if they have their very own front seats in the Met opera house itself.

Carmen will be the first ever live transmission to be aired at Theatr Mwldan.

The theatre has recently installed a state-of-the-art satellite receiver to enable live transmissions of high profile events taking place all over the world to be screened in high definition on the cinema screen.

Director Dilwyn Davies said: “This is a fantastic way to experience some of the highest quality opera in the world, without the jet lag and the hole in your pocket. These events have proved to be hugely popular in other venues in Wales and across the UK, so book your tickets well in advance.”

Tickets for New York Met Opera Live in HD: Carmen, live at Theatr Mwldan and Torch Theatre on Saturday 16th January, are £17.50 (£15.50 concessions). To book for Theatr Mwldan, go to www.mwldan.co.uk or call the box office on 01239 621200. For the Torch Theatre, call the box office on 01646 695267 or visit www.torchtheatre.co.uk.