PUNTERS across Hampshire can enjoy a touch of classic opera as a touring show comes to pub gardens.

Opera in the Garden will return to Fuller's pubs across the county, with performances of Carmen over the summer.

The Cromwell Arms, in Mainstone, Romsey, will welcome the show on June 17, while The Princess Royal in Farnham will host the performance on August 6.

Daily Echo: The Princess Royal in FarnhamThe Princess Royal in Farnham (Image: Google Maps)

In a new interpretation of the classic opera, Rogue Opera brings Carmen to life for a modern audience, sung in French with a new English script.

Rogue Opera’s four singers and pianist will deliver a show with all of the well-known music and drama in an original format.

As the story unfolds, audiences will follow the four main protagonists; Carmen, Josè, Escamillo and Micaëla, along with Captain Moralès, and the gypsies Frasquita and Dancaïre.

The characters share their motivations and inner thoughts with the audience, making it a welcoming experience for both opera connoisseurs and newcomers alike.

Carmen lives a bohemian life, seeking freedom outside of the law. José, drawn to Carmen and this unconventional world, is torn between love, duty and honour.

Micaëla, the loyal and pious village girl, finds strength and courage as she tries to bring Josè back from his outlaw’s life. The charismatic bullfighter Escamillo is infatuated with Carmen, recognising a kindred spirit, while Moralès, the captain, embodies everything that the gypsies, Frasquita and Dancaire are not.

Set against some of the most recognisable music in opera, Carmen is a serious and still-relevant examination of the restrictions of societal stereotypes, obsessive love and the struggle of a spirited woman striving for independence and choice.

Tickets for each performance cost £20 each.

More information about Opera in The Garden, including additional dates across Hampshire, can be found on the Fuller's website.