Mariah Carey [ tickets ], who spent much of the summer touring the states, returns to the U.S. theater circuit in late 2003.

Carey so far has booked a handful of December shows in the West; the majority of her July, August and September dates focused on the Midwest and East. The singer had originally announced plans to mount a large-scale arena tour earlier this year, but quickly downsized those plans for the more modest theater outing.

Carey is touring the world behind her December 2002 release, "Charmbracelet," which has sold more than a million copies in the U.S. and more than 3 million copies worldwide. It includes the singles "Through The Rain," "Boy (I Need You)" and "Bringing on the Heartbreak," as well as "I Know What You Want," which features rapper Busta Rhymes.

Though her December tour dates are part of her "Charmbracelet" tour, Carey is also supporting the recently released "The Remixes," a two-disc set that features re-tooled versions of previously released tracks.

Carey took a nearly $30 million buyout to part with Virgin Records in January of 2002 after her first album for the label, "Glitter," and its namesake motion-picture--which starred Carey--both flopped. She quickly signed a new deal with Island, and "Charmbracelet" is her first release for the label.

Carey was hospitalized in 2001, just prior to the release of the "Glitter" album and movie, after suffering what her publicist termed "an emotional and physical breakdown."