Carmen: A Hip Hopera
Carmen: A Hip Hopera is an 2001 musical movie produced for television by MTV and directed by Robert Townsend. The movie stars Beyoncé Knowles, Mos Def, Rah Digga, Wyclef Jean, Mekhi Phifer, Da Brat, Joy Bryant, Jermaine Dupri and Lil' Bow Wow. It is based upon Georges Bizet's opera, Carmen, set in Philadelphia and Los Angeles in modern times, and features a mostly original hip-hop/R&B score in place of Bizet's opera.
| Carmen: A Hip Hopera | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert Townsend |
| Produced by | Graig Hutchison |
| Written by | Michael Elliot |
| Starring | Beyoncé Knowles Mekhi Phifer Mos Def Rah Digga Wyclef Jean Lil' Bow Wow Da Brat Casey Lee Jermaine Dupri Reagan Gomez-Preston |
| Music by | Kip Collins |
The movie received mainly negative reviews. To date, it is the second major attempt at an African-American adaptation of the opera, the first being the 1943 Broadway musical Carmen Jones and its 1954 Academy Award nominated and box office hit movie adaptation.
Cast
- Carmen Brown: Beyoncé Knowles
- Derek Hill: Mekhi Phifer
- Caela: Reagan Gomez-Preston
- Lieutenant Miller: Mos Def
- Cellmate 1: Bow Wow
- Cellmate 2: Jermaine Dupri
- Blaze: Casey Lee
- Rasheeda: Rashia "Rah Digga" Battle
- Nikki: Joy Bryant
- Fortune Teller: Wyclef Jean