What’s Showing

A new production of one of the funniest plays in English, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, filmed live at the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End. Wilde’s much-loved masterpiece throws love, logic and language into the air to make one of theatre’s most dazzling firework displays. Jack, Algy, Gwendolyn and Cecily discover how unsmooth runs the course of true love, while Lady Bracknell keeps a baleful eye on the mayhem of manners.This is the fourth and final play from the Oscar Wilde Season, a year-long celebration of the brilliant Victorian playwright being staged by the Classic Spring Theatre Company.

The  Winter’s  Tale  is  Shakespeare’s  great  play  of  the  irrational  and  inexplicable,  illustrating  how uncontrollable  emotions  can  range  across  gender,  country,  class  and  age.  Its  universe  is  full  of  monsters,  gods  and  natural  disasters  with  a  colossal  sweep  that  takes  audiences  from  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  the  Sicilian  court  to  the  unbuttoned  joy  of  a  Bohemian  festival.  Directed  by  Blanche  McIntyre,  this  new  production  staged  at  the  beautiful  and  iconic  Globe  Theatre  in  London  will  be  broadcast  live  to  cinemas  on  Thursday  4  October  2018.

Dangerous desires, family secret and political intrigues twist through every moment of daring choreography in Kenneth Macmillan’s ballet inspired by true events.Mayerling is a classic of the Royal Ballet repertory, with its emotional depth, haunting imagery, and one of the most demanding roles ever created for a male dancer. Kenneth MacMillan choreographed a complex work around the psychologically tormented heir to the Habsburg Empire, Crown Prince Rudolf. From the ballet’s start, the glamour of the Austro-Hungarian court is contrasted with undercurrents of sexual and political intrigue that drive the story to its  violent climax in a double suicide. The large cast allows for impressive ensembles in addition to the ballet’s many solos of distinctive character and pas de deux Of disturbing eroticism. This ballet, bursting with intensity, madness and passion, proves that sometimes the truth is more scandalous than fiction. Choreography- Kenneth MacMillan, Music- Franz Liszt. Arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery.

The Nutcracker has long been one of the most delightful ways to discover the  enchantment of ballet – and makes for a delicious seasonal treat for all the family. Tchaikovsky’s much-loved music is matched to a magical adventure on Christmas Eve for Clara and her Nutcracker doll. Their journey to the Land of Sweets brings with it some of the most familiar of all ballet   moments, such as the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of the Flowers.Peter Wright ’s production for The Royal Ballet keeps true to the spirit of this Russian ballet classic, with period details and dancing snowflakes. The many solo roles and ensembles put the world-class skills of the Company to the fore in this Christmas classic.

Tchaikovsky’s most ambitious opera contains some of his greatest music and is a powerful study of destructive obsession. In Tchaikovsky’s intense opera of obsession and the supernatural, Gherman is caught between the woman he loves and a destructive fixation. The Queen of Spades is based on a short story by Pushkin, and comes to the Royal Opera House in a new production that has already garnered five- star reviews in Amsterdam. The production is set in 1890, the year of the opera’s premiere. In his study, Tchaikovsky imagines the opera into life as his own story, its characters giving voice to his unfulfilled desires. Aleksandrs Antonenko and Eva-Maria Westbroek head the cast and Royal Opera Chorus , conducted by Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera. This is an engrossing portrayal of a tortured creative artist and a gripping piece of gothic storytelling.

Director – Stefan Herheim, Music – Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

From the thrill of unexpected romance to a heart breaking reconciliation that comes too late – Verdi’s La Traviata is one of the most popular of all operas. Alfredo falls in love in with the courtesan Violetta in glamorous Paris society, but underneath the surface run darker undercurrents, leading to a tragic ending. The opera’s wealth of melodies includes the famous Brindisi and the exuberant ‘Sempre libera’ – both showing the lyricism of Italian opera at its most immediately appealing. Richard Eyre’s production for The Royal Opera brings out all the emotional colour, from the giddy discovery of love, through painful confrontation to the inevitable conclusion. Lavish period sets and costumes enhance the reality of a moving story based on true life. Music- Giuseppe Verdi, Director – Richard Eyre, Conductor- Antonello Manacorda. Duration 3h 35mins including two interval, Sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Cervantes’s story of the bumbling knight Don Quixote has inspired countless artistic interpretations. Marius Petipa choreographed this sparkling ballet about the encounters of the man from La Mancha and his faithful squire Sancho Panza. At its heart are virtuoso roles for the lovers Basilio and Kitri. Carlos Acosta chose this joyful classic for his first production for The Royal Ballet. His vibrant staging brings together the whole Company in such roles as exuberant villagers, passionate gypsies and even fantasy flowers. The   story follows Don Quixote’s picaresque journey to do deeds in honour of his imaginary noble lady, Dulcinea. Sunny, charming, funny and touching Don Quixoteis a ballet as full of uplifting emotion as it is of astonishing ballet technique.Choreography- Carlos Acosta, Marius Petipa, Music- Ludwig Minkus.

Leonora falls in love with Don Alvaro, but when her father forbids their    marriage, a fatal accident triggers a drama of obsession, vengeance and   tragedy. Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Netrebko star in Verdi ’s epic La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny) an opera which demands the very best of singers for its powerful music and the fullest theatrical treatment for its    story of bitter revenge pursued across miles and years. The production comes to The Royal Opera in a sensational staging from Amsterdam packed with colour and action. It is directed by Christof Loy and conducted by Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera. Music – Giuseppe Verdi, Director- Christof Loy, Conductor- Antonio Pappano.

The contemporary face of The Royal Ballet is shown in works from three of today’s leading choreographers. Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour is based around seven couples separating and intermingling, to music by Vivaldi and Bosso and lit with rich colours suggested by sunset. Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern, revived for the first time, uses a large dance ensemble and Górecki ’s familiar music from his Symphony of Sorrowful Songs for a poignant and passionate reflection on migration. Between them, a new work by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui , created on The Royal Ballet has its premiere to bring the contemporary truly up-to-date.Choreography- Christopher Wheeldon, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Crystal Pite. Music – Ezio Bosso, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki.

Shakespeare’s enduring love story is known the world over. Since its 1965 premiere with The Royal Ballet, Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet has become a modern ballet classic. The choreography captures the emotions of the young couple as they fall in love, despite the barriers that finally bring about the story’s tragic end. Each revival gives opportunities for new dancers to interpret the doomed lovers. The whole Company brings the colour and action of Renaissance Verona, where a busy market all too quickly bursts into sword fighting, and a family feud leads to tragedy for both the Montagues and Capulets. Choreography- Kenneth MacMillan, Music -Sergei Prokofiev