'MTV'S HIP HOPERA' IS SURPRISINGLY TIP-TOPERA.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

As unlikely as it might seem - and on second blush, it's not really even all that unlikely - ``MTV's Hip Hopera: Carmen'' is a very clever movie musical that's actually surprisingly faithful (in spirit, at least) to Georges Bizet's opera, which opened in Paris in 1875, the year of his death. (It, in turn, was based on a novel by Prosper Merimee, and in turn inspired a 1954 updated musical starring Dorothy Dandridge with Oscar Hammerstein contributing lyrics, but I fear we're entering the area of too much information.)

Carmen Brown, played by Beyonce Knowles of the pop vocal group Destiny's Child, is a sultry woman who knows, and enjoys, her devastating effect on men. She works her sorcery on Derek Hill (Mekhi Phifer), an honest Philadelphia cop with a loving fiancee who's gotten on the bad side of his corrupt superior, Frank Miller (a particularly assured and witty performance by rapper Mos Def).

When Carmen's Tabasco-hot curves and temperament get her arrested in a bar fight, Miller has Hill take her in for booking, and the poor guy doesn't know what hit him. Soon, he's in jail for aiding and abetting her escape - the plot doesn't bear close scrutiny, but it doesn't in Bizet's version, either - and she's being given the once-over (and twice-, and thrice-over) by Blaze (Casey Lee), a hip-hop star who tries to lure her to Los Angeles. Blaze serves as a neat composite character - it took a smuggler and a bullfighter to perform the same narrative function in Bizet's opera.

Alas, Carmen is obsessed with tarot cards, and hers - as read by Wyclef Jean - portend nothing but her own grim death. The tragically smitten Hill breaks his parole to go to L.A. with his love, but with his record, he can't land a job, and Miller isn't quite finished with him yet.

Lyricist Sekani Williams' songs are endlessly entertaining. Carmen tells at length about her attributes, Hill and his fiancee debate the shelf life of the average Philly cop, Hill and Miller debate the latter's corruption, and Carmen's pals try to lure her to L.A. with images of Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles and Fatburger - all in song. Director Robert Townsend leads his cast of predominantly singers to more than credible performances, and editing is typically frenetic and stylized.

Even when the story darkens, it's clear everyone's having fun with the project, that it's something of a lark. But as a ``hip hopera,'' ``Carmen'' is more than a lark. It's a smart little musical with the potential to appeal to folks who don't necessarily think they like hip-hop.

``MTV'S HIP HOPERA: CARMEN''

What: Rap version of Georges Bizet's opera ``Carmen.''

The stars: Beyonce Knowles, Mekhi Phifer, Mos Def, Li'l Bow Wow, Rah Digga, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Joy Bryant, Casey Lee, Wyclef Jean, Da Brat.

Where: MTV 

When: 8 tonight.

Our rating: Three stars

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Photo:

Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child stars in the title role of ``MTV's Hip Hopera: Carmen,'' airing at 8 tonight.