New sponsorship deal leads opera company to ban iconic work for cigarette references.

Carmen is one of the most beloved operas in the canon: after Verdi’s La Traviata it is the most performed opera in the world, with over 470 different productions staged internationally last year. Countless thousands of performances of Bizet’s treasured operatic staple have played to packed houses all over the globe since the curtain lifted on the first performance in 1875. However it seems that a case of conflicting interests means that audiences in Western Australia are unlikely to see the tragic tale of rebellious Carmen and her untimely downfall at the hands of her jilted lover at least for the next two years.

West Australia Opera has announced it will no longer include Carmen for consideration in its 2015 and 2016 seasons as its depiction of smoking does not fit with the values of its major new corporate partner, Healthway, the state government’s health lobby. Under the new sponsorship agreement, which will see $400,000 invested in the company over two years, West Australian Opera will be reflecting the health conscious ethics of its new benefactor, including promoting Healthway’s Think Again responsible drinking campaign through its...