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Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Annabelle Wallis, Daniel Stisen, Jude Law. UK 2017. 126 mins.
In the first of six films slated to cover the legendary medieval ruler, director Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the Excalibur myth, chronicling Arthur’s rise from the streets to the throne.
When the infant Arthur’s father, King Uther, is murdered, the wicked Vortigern (Law) seizes the crown. With no idea of who he truly is, Arthur (Hunnam) grows up the hard way on the Londinium streets until he draws the magic sword from its stone and discovers its power. Forced to acknowledge his true heritage, he must overcome his demons to defeat Vortigern and take his rightful place on the throne. As in Ritchie’s other work, the pace is relentless, and in a film destined to kick-start a mighty franchise, the action sequences and special effects just keep coming.
Director: Ridley Scott. Starring: Michael Fassbender, Billy Crudup, Katherine Waterston. USA 2017. 122 mins.
When the crew of the colony ship Covenant touch down on what appears to be an uncharted utopian planet on the far side of the galaxy, they make a harrowing and deadly discovery. With regular cinematographer Dariusz Wolski on board, Scott delivers the goriest chapter in the Alien franchise to date, recapturing the unsettling, claustrophobic horror of his 1979 masterpiece.
Director: Ritesh Batra.
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Michelle Dockery, Harriet Walter. UK 2017. 108 mins.
“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there”, wrote L. P. Hartley. It’s a sentiment retired divorcee Tony Webster (Broadbent) might subscribe to, were he not preoccupied with managing his camera shop, attending antenatal classes with his daughter (Dockery) and having amicable lunches with his ex-wife (Walter). One day, however, the past comes knocking in the form of an inheritance: a former schoolmate’s diary left to him inexplicably by the mother of an old girlfriend. On his quest to recover it, Tony is forced to revisit his flawed recollections of his past, and piece together the fragments of a student romance and its painful aftermath. Based on Julian Barnes’ novel of the same name, The Sense Of An Ending is a perceptive study of love, family and friendship.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Annabelle Wallis, Daniel Stisen, Jude Law. UK 2017. 126 mins.
In the first of six films slated to cover the legendary medieval ruler, director Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the Excalibur myth, chronicling Arthur’s rise from the streets to the throne.
When the infant Arthur’s father, King Uther, is murdered, the wicked Vortigern (Law) seizes the crown. With no idea of who he truly is, Arthur (Hunnam) grows up the hard way on the Londinium streets until he draws the magic sword from its stone and discovers its power. Forced to acknowledge his true heritage, he must overcome his demons to defeat Vortigern and take his rightful place on the throne. As in Ritchie’s other work, the pace is relentless, and in a film destined to kick-start a mighty franchise, the action sequences and special effects just keep coming.
12.30Silver Screen: Aged over 60? Join the Silver Screen Club for discounted tickets and a free tea or coffee at these shows. Usual ticket prices apply to non-Members.
Select:
15.15Silver Screen: Aged over 60? Join the Silver Screen Club for discounted tickets and a free tea or coffee at these shows. Usual ticket prices apply to non-Members.
Sarah And Duck follows seven-year-old Sarah and her endearing best friend Duck. During each episode, the pair embarks on simple but exciting adventures. Whether they are trying to reach a rainbow or help an umbrella to stay dry, Sarah and Duck explore everyday moments in an engaging, imaginative way.
Director: Ridley Scott. Starring: Michael Fassbender, Billy Crudup, Katherine Waterston. USA 2017. 122 mins.
When the crew of the colony ship Covenant touch down on what appears to be an uncharted utopian planet on the far side of the galaxy, they make a harrowing and deadly discovery. With regular cinematographer Dariusz Wolski on board, Scott delivers the goriest chapter in the Alien franchise to date, recapturing the unsettling, claustrophobic horror of his 1979 masterpiece.
Jude Law (The Young Pope, Closer, The Talented Mr Ripley) stars in the stage production of Obsession, broadcast live from the Barbican Theatre in London. Ivo van Hove (NT Live: A View from the Bridge, Hedda Gabler) directs this new stage adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s 1943 film.
Gino is a drifter, down-at-heel and magnetically handsome. At a road side restaurant he encounters husband and wife, Giuseppe and Giovanna. Irresistibly attracted to each other, Gino and Giovanna begin a fiery affair and plot to murder her husband. But, in this chilling tale of passion and destruction, the crime only serves to tear them apart.
The stage production of Obsession is produced by Barbican Theatre Productions Limited, London and Toneelgroep Amsterdam; co-commissioned by Wiener Festwochen and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; co-produced by Holland Festival and David Binder Productions; and supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Director: James Gunn.
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper. USA 2017. 136 mins.
The coolest ragtag bunch of a-holes in space are back with the fate of the cosmos resting on their shoulders once more. Because anyone can save the galaxy once. As they journey across the far reaches of the universe, the Guardians attempt to solve the mystery of Peter Quill’s (Pratt) parentage. On their travels, they cross paths with old foes, new faces and an enigmatic villain in Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), but their biggest battle might just be to keep their newfound family together. Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper reprise their roles as Gamora, Drax and Rocket respectively, while Vin Diesel returns to voice a very naïve and goofy baby Groot. Expect another humdinger of a soundtrack.
14.50Silver Screen: Aged over 60? Join the Silver Screen Club for discounted tickets and a free tea or coffee at these shows. Usual ticket prices apply to non-Members.
Director: Cristian Mungiu.
Starring: Adrian Titieni, Maria-Victoria Dragus. Romania 2016. 128 mins. Romanian with English subtitles.
A leading figure of the Romanian New Wave, and the first director from the country to win the Palme D’Or (for 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days in 2007), Cristian
Mungiu returns after a four-year absence with this expertly crafted family drama. Mungiu shared the Best Director Award at Cannes for this highly impressive film exploring the moral complexities of life in contemporary Romania. Graduation revolves around the middle-class Aldea family, headed by the outwardly upstanding doctor Romeo (Titieni). A series of violent incidents, including an assault on his daughter Eliza (Dragus) that affects the first of her final school exams, tests Romeo’s paternal moral guidance. Handsomely shot, Graduation features richly drawn supporting characters that further complicate Romeo’s underhand plans to help his struggling daughter.
17.50Discover Tuesdays: Discover stunning cinema. Whether it's a cult classic, an art-house gem or a riveting documentary, there will always be a chance to see something different and brilliant in our weekly slot.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Annabelle Wallis, Daniel Stisen, Jude Law. UK 2017. 126 mins.
In the first of six films slated to cover the legendary medieval ruler, director Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the Excalibur myth, chronicling Arthur’s rise from the streets to the throne.
When the infant Arthur’s father, King Uther, is murdered, the wicked Vortigern (Law) seizes the crown. With no idea of who he truly is, Arthur (Hunnam) grows up the hard way on the Londinium streets until he draws the magic sword from its stone and discovers its power. Forced to acknowledge his true heritage, he must overcome his demons to defeat Vortigern and take his rightful place on the throne. As in Ritchie’s other work, the pace is relentless, and in a film destined to kick-start a mighty franchise, the action sequences and special effects just keep coming.
Iqbal Khan (Othello, Much Ado About Nothing) returns to the RSC to direct Shakespeare’s tragedy, which follows on from Julius Caesar.
After Caesar’s assassination, Mark Antony reached the heights of power. Now he is neglecting his empire for a life of decadent seduction with his mistress, Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. As he is torn between love and duty, Antony’s military brilliance deserts him, and his passion leads the lovers to their tragic end.
Director: Ridley Scott. Starring: Michael Fassbender, Billy Crudup, Katherine Waterston. USA 2017. 122 mins.
When the crew of the colony ship Covenant touch down on what appears to be an uncharted utopian planet on the far side of the galaxy, they make a harrowing and deadly discovery. With regular cinematographer Dariusz Wolski on board, Scott delivers the goriest chapter in the Alien franchise to date, recapturing the unsettling, claustrophobic horror of his 1979 masterpiece.
Director: James Gunn.
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper. USA 2017. 136 mins.
The coolest ragtag bunch of a-holes in space are back with the fate of the cosmos resting on their shoulders once more. Because anyone can save the galaxy once. As they journey across the far reaches of the universe, the Guardians attempt to solve the mystery of Peter Quill’s (Pratt) parentage. On their travels, they cross paths with old foes, new faces and an enigmatic villain in Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), but their biggest battle might just be to keep their newfound family together. Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper reprise their roles as Gamora, Drax and Rocket respectively, while Vin Diesel returns to voice a very naïve and goofy baby Groot. Expect another humdinger of a soundtrack.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Annabelle Wallis, Daniel Stisen, Jude Law. UK 2017. 126 mins.
In the first of six films slated to cover the legendary medieval ruler, director Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the Excalibur myth, chronicling Arthur’s rise from the streets to the throne.
When the infant Arthur’s father, King Uther, is murdered, the wicked Vortigern (Law) seizes the crown. With no idea of who he truly is, Arthur (Hunnam) grows up the hard way on the Londinium streets until he draws the magic sword from its stone and discovers its power. Forced to acknowledge his true heritage, he must overcome his demons to defeat Vortigern and take his rightful place on the throne. As in Ritchie’s other work, the pace is relentless, and in a film destined to kick-start a mighty franchise, the action sequences and special effects just keep coming.
Director: Roger Donaldson.
Featuring: Dwayne Cameron, Bruce McLaren. New Zealand 2016. 93 mins.
Bruce McLaren was the cheery but steely New Zealander who, during a hugely successful early career in motorsport, founded his own manufacturing company which remains a dominant force in Formula One, long after his tragic death in 1970. Aged just 14 years old, he restored an Austin 7-based hillclimb car and soon moved on to pure circuit racing, coming second in the 1957/8 New Zealand championship driving a Cooper. He moved to England to join the Cooper team in 1959, from where, aided by his intuitive engineering skills, he won the 1959 USA Grand Prix and that same year went on to ever greater glory. In this tribute to an incredible innovator, director Donaldson (who made the motorcycle-racing movie The Fastest Indian In The World) makes use of gripping archive footage, cunning recreations and many moving interviews.
Director: Ridley Scott. Starring: Michael Fassbender, Billy Crudup, Katherine Waterston. USA 2017. 122 mins.
When the crew of the colony ship Covenant touch down on what appears to be an uncharted utopian planet on the far side of the galaxy, they make a harrowing and deadly discovery. With regular cinematographer Dariusz Wolski on board, Scott delivers the goriest chapter in the Alien franchise to date, recapturing the unsettling, claustrophobic horror of his 1979 masterpiece.
Director: Ritesh Batra.
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Michelle Dockery, Harriet Walter. UK 2017. 108 mins.
“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there”, wrote L. P. Hartley. It’s a sentiment retired divorcee Tony Webster (Broadbent) might subscribe to, were he not preoccupied with managing his camera shop, attending antenatal classes with his daughter (Dockery) and having amicable lunches with his ex-wife (Walter). One day, however, the past comes knocking in the form of an inheritance: a former schoolmate’s diary left to him inexplicably by the mother of an old girlfriend. On his quest to recover it, Tony is forced to revisit his flawed recollections of his past, and piece together the fragments of a student romance and its painful aftermath. Based on Julian Barnes’ novel of the same name, The Sense Of An Ending is a perceptive study of love, family and friendship.
The London International Animation Festival (LIAF) returns to Kids Club this May with an eclectic mix of wonderful animated shorts from all over the globe. Definitely not to be missed and don’t forget to vote for your favourites!
Join Stephen Fry, cast and film-makers live by satellite from the Hay Literary Festival for a Q&A after the screening.
Director: John Jencks.
Starring: Roger Allam, Fiona Shaw, Matthew Modine. UK 2017. 89 mins.
After he is fired from his job, disgraced poet Ted Wallace (Allam) is summoned to Swafford Hall, the country manor of his friends Lord and Lady Logan (Modine and Shaw), to investigate a series of unexplained miracle healings. Ted tracks down the perpetrator of the phenomena, fifteen-year-old David Logan (Tommy Knight), whose parents believe he has healing hands. Unaware that David is using some unorthodox methods, the Logans are set on sharing their son’s gift with the world. With a poet’s passion for the truth, Ted hurries to debunk the miracles and save a young man from a lifetime of embarrassment. His natural cynicism makes him the ideal candidate to get to the bottom of events – and some good whisky bottles – in this hilarious tale based on Stephen Fry’s seminal novel.
Director: Chris McKay
Starring: Will Arnet, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson. USA 2017. 104 mins.
Lego Batman must learn to be a team player to defeat The Joker in this brilliantly funny Lego Movie spin-off. Self-regarding, gravel-voiced Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett) - aka Batman - remains the toast of Gotham City. But each night, he returns to the Batcave alone. His faithful manservant Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) suggests that this illustrious master builder and crime-fighter's greatest fear is of being part of a family once more. The solution is to raise the orphan he adopted, Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), to become his superhero sidekick Robin. But the over-excited boy wonder proves quite a handful. Meanwhile, police commisioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) wants Batman to join her law enforcement team just as highly-strung, self-styled greatest foe The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) rears his cackling head. Will Arnett reprises his wonderful voice performance from the hit 'Lego Movie' for this witty animated comedy that places Batman centre stage - where he feels he belongs!
11.00Autism-Friendly: Especially for people on the autism spectrum or with other special needs and their families, friends and carers. Adults without disabilities are only admitted if they are accompanying a child or a person on the autism spectrum/with special needs.
Director: Martin Scorsese.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel. USA 1976. 114 mins.
Taxi Driver, recently revived for its 35th anniversary in an immaculate new print, grips like a vice.
Nursing various resentments, probably fuelled by a fear of social and sexual failure, Travis Bickle's (De Niro) attention turns to Iris (Foster), a 14-year-old prostitute, and he makes it his mission to save her.
The film's expressionist images eloquently mirror Bickle's sense of the impoverished, tawdry, sometimes menacing New York of the mid-70s as a hell on earth. Scorsese's Palme d'Or winner remains one of the defining American movies of that decade, not only for its bravura flair, but also for the way it points to the troubled urban mood of those times by locating Bickle's psychotic rage in his ill-concealed racism, misogyny and anxieties concerning all-round impotence.
Hop on board a spaceship and fly over to to this special Hopster Showtime screening that’s all about aliens and space. Budding astronauts will love this half an hour filled with space travels and interstellar explorations.
Did you know that we live in the Milky Way Galaxy and send out robot rovers to search for signs of life outside of our Planet?
Come along and learn these and more exciting space facts, travel to Alien’s planet, meet his family and then see how Doug from Hilltop Hospital averts a Mars mission disaster.
Raphael – the Lord of the Arts is the first film adaptation of the life and work of one of the most famous artists in the world, Raphael Sanzio. Few figures in the history of art have lived a life so full of intensity and fascination. He died young, aged 37, and yet managed to leave an indelible mark on the artistic world. In a well-balanced dialogue between historical reconstruction and expert commentary, the film retraces the most significant moments of Raphael’s life. Set in 20 locations, two of which are major exclusives – the Vatican Logge and Cardinal Bibbiena’s apartment in the Apostolic Palace – the film explores more than 30 works of art, including the most famous and most representative of Raphael’s work. Beauty comes to life through the brushwork and enduring genius of one of the most talented artists the world has ever known.
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nelson. USA 2017. 133 mins.
Since Cathy Lee Crosby burst onto the big screen as the original Wonder Woman in 1974 there have several other versions of DC Comics’ legendary female superhero, but now Israeli actress Gal Gadot (Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise) takes centre stage as the Amazon warrior-princess after a breakout turn last year in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Raised as a fearless defender of her island paradise in the early 20th century, young Diana meets Steve Trevor (Pine), an American pilot who informs her of the mighty war raging beyond her shores. Inspired to right the world’s wrong, she leaves for London to discover her true destiny and her full, unearthly powers. Gifted director Patty Jenkins (Monster) is behind the camera, overseeing a stellar cast that includes Robin Wright and Connie Nelson.
11.50Silver Screen: Aged over 60? Join the Silver Screen Club for discounted tickets and a free tea or coffee at these shows. Usual ticket prices apply to non-Members.
Select:
14.50Silver Screen: Aged over 60? Join the Silver Screen Club for discounted tickets and a free tea or coffee at these shows. Usual ticket prices apply to non-Members.
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nelson. USA 2017. 133 mins.
Since Cathy Lee Crosby burst onto the big screen as the original Wonder Woman in 1974 there have several other versions of DC Comics’ legendary female superhero, but now Israeli actress Gal Gadot (Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise) takes centre stage as the Amazon warrior-princess after a breakout turn last year in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Raised as a fearless defender of her island paradise in the early 20th century, young Diana meets Steve Trevor (Pine), an American pilot who informs her of the mighty war raging beyond her shores. Inspired to right the world’s wrong, she leaves for London to discover her true destiny and her full, unearthly powers. Gifted director Patty Jenkins (Monster) is behind the camera, overseeing a stellar cast that includes Robin Wright and Connie Nelson.
An enterprising koala puts on the world’s greatest singing show in this hilarious animated comedy. Buster Moon is a koala whose pride and joy is his theatre. But the once grand building has fallen on hard times and looks set to close its doors forever unless Buster can find a way to revive its fortunes. The one idea he has is to put on the world’s greatest singing competition – but will he find the next Leona Lewis or the next Honey G? From acclaimed director Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Son of Rambow) comes this charming and hilariously funny animated comedy featuring the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly and Taron Egerton.
This fascinating new cinema event, British Museum presents: Hokusai, is a groundbreaking documentary and exclusive private view of the forthcoming British Museum exhibition Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave. Filmed in Japan, the US and the UK, the film focuses on Hokusai’s work, life and times in the great, bustling metropolis of Edo, modern Tokyo.
Introduced by arts presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon, and featuring artists David Hockney, Grayson Perry and Maggi Hambling, this is the first UK biography of Japan’s greatest artist. Using extraordinary close-ups and pioneering 8K Ultra HD video technology, Hokusai’s paintings and prints are examined by world experts who are at the forefront of digital art history.
Hokusai spent his life studying and celebrating our common humanity as well as deeply exploring the natural and spiritual worlds, using the famous volcano Mount Fuji as a protective presence and potential source of immortality. He knew much tragedy, was struck by lightning and lived for years in poverty, but never gave up his pursuit of perfection in his art. Hokusai is an artist who influenced Monet, Van Gogh and other Impressionists, is the father of manga and the only painter with his own emoji.
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nelson. USA 2017. 133 mins.
Since Cathy Lee Crosby burst onto the big screen as the original Wonder Woman in 1974 there have several other versions of DC Comics’ legendary female superhero, but now Israeli actress Gal Gadot (Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise) takes centre stage as the Amazon warrior-princess after a breakout turn last year in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Raised as a fearless defender of her island paradise in the early 20th century, young Diana meets Steve Trevor (Pine), an American pilot who informs her of the mighty war raging beyond her shores. Inspired to right the world’s wrong, she leaves for London to discover her true destiny and her full, unearthly powers. Gifted director Patty Jenkins (Monster) is behind the camera, overseeing a stellar cast that includes Robin Wright and Connie Nelson.
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nelson. USA 2017. 133 mins.
Since Cathy Lee Crosby burst onto the big screen as the original Wonder Woman in 1974 there have several other versions of DC Comics’ legendary female superhero, but now Israeli actress Gal Gadot (Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise) takes centre stage as the Amazon warrior-princess after a breakout turn last year in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Raised as a fearless defender of her island paradise in the early 20th century, young Diana meets Steve Trevor (Pine), an American pilot who informs her of the mighty war raging beyond her shores. Inspired to right the world’s wrong, she leaves for London to discover her true destiny and her full, unearthly powers. Gifted director Patty Jenkins (Monster) is behind the camera, overseeing a stellar cast that includes Robin Wright and Connie Nelson.
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nelson. USA 2017. 133 mins.
Since Cathy Lee Crosby burst onto the big screen as the original Wonder Woman in 1974 there have several other versions of DC Comics’ legendary female superhero, but now Israeli actress Gal Gadot (Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise) takes centre stage as the Amazon warrior-princess after a breakout turn last year in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Raised as a fearless defender of her island paradise in the early 20th century, young Diana meets Steve Trevor (Pine), an American pilot who informs her of the mighty war raging beyond her shores. Inspired to right the world’s wrong, she leaves for London to discover her true destiny and her full, unearthly powers. Gifted director Patty Jenkins (Monster) is behind the camera, overseeing a stellar cast that includes Robin Wright and Connie Nelson.
12.30Silver Screen: Aged over 60? Join the Silver Screen Club for discounted tickets and a free tea or coffee at these shows. Usual ticket prices apply to non-Members.
Sonia Friedman Productions present Imelda Staunton (Gypsy, Vera Drake, the Harry Potter films), Conleth Hill (Game Of Thrones, The Producers), Luke Treadaway (A Street Cat Named Bob, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, The Hollow Crown) and Imogen Poots (A Long Way Down, Jane Eyre) in James Macdonald’s critically acclaimed, five-star production of Edward Albee’s landmark play, broadcast live to cinemas from the Harold Pinter Theatre, London.
In the early hours of the morning on the campus of an American college, Martha, much to her husband George’s displeasure, has invited the new professor and his wife to their home for some after-party drinks. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple are drawn into George and Martha’s toxic games until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling.
This gorgeous mixed programme demonstrates the great creative vision of Frederick Ashton, Founder Choreographer of The Royal Ballet.
The Dream is Ashton's adaptation of Shakespeare's riotous comedy in which a forest sprite plays havoc, armed with a love potion. Symphonic Variations was Ashton's first work after World War II, and one of the Company's first to be performed on the huge main stage of the Royal Opera House, in 1946. With six dancers performing a series of quartets, duets, sextets and solos to Franck’s brooding Variations symphoniques, this seminal masterpiece celebrates the pure beauty of movement. Marguerite and Armand is Ashton's beautiful and emotional retelling of a well-known story, familiar to us through Verdi's opera La traviata. Ashton famously created this poignant ballet on Margot
Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in 1963.
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nelson. USA 2017. 133 mins.
Since Cathy Lee Crosby burst onto the big screen as the original Wonder Woman in 1974 there have several other versions of DC Comics’ legendary female superhero, but now Israeli actress Gal Gadot (Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise) takes centre stage as the Amazon warrior-princess after a breakout turn last year in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Raised as a fearless defender of her island paradise in the early 20th century, young Diana meets Steve Trevor (Pine), an American pilot who informs her of the mighty war raging beyond her shores. Inspired to right the world’s wrong, she leaves for London to discover her true destiny and her full, unearthly powers. Gifted director Patty Jenkins (Monster) is behind the camera, overseeing a stellar cast that includes Robin Wright and Connie Nelson.
Violetta gives up every hope of happiness in this heart-wrenching love story. With its world-famous arias, La traviata is the perfect introduction to Glyndebourne.
Alfredo, a young man from the provinces, falls in love with Violetta, the stylish toast of Paris. But she’s not the marrying kind – at least not until now. However, their dreams are threatened by both a merciless society that condemns Violetta’s racy past and an equally merciless disease.
There’s rarely a dry eye in the house when this poignant tale unfolds through Verdi’s robust, tuneful, full-hearted and full-throated score, laced through with melodies as familiar as the story.
Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva portrays the iconic role of Violetta, alongside American tenor Michael Fabiano as Alfredo. The visual beauty of Tom Cairns’s opulent production aptly echoes the irresistible allure of this beloved opera.
‘With a team this thrilling and a production so intelligent, Glyndebourne has a sure-fire hit on its hands.’ ★★★★★– The Observer
Captured live in 2014. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.
Also on screen this summer: Brett Dean’s brand new Shakespeare-inspired opera, Hamlet (live) and a new production of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (live).
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nelson. USA 2017. 133 mins.
Since Cathy Lee Crosby burst onto the big screen as the original Wonder Woman in 1974 there have several other versions of DC Comics’ legendary female superhero, but now Israeli actress Gal Gadot (Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise) takes centre stage as the Amazon warrior-princess after a breakout turn last year in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Raised as a fearless defender of her island paradise in the early 20th century, young Diana meets Steve Trevor (Pine), an American pilot who informs her of the mighty war raging beyond her shores. Inspired to right the world’s wrong, she leaves for London to discover her true destiny and her full, unearthly powers. Gifted director Patty Jenkins (Monster) is behind the camera, overseeing a stellar cast that includes Robin Wright and Connie Nelson.
★★★★★ ‘Spellbindingly imaginative. A dazzling production.’
Radio Times
All children, except one, grow up…
Captured live at the National Theatre, a recorded performance of JM Barrie’s much-loved tale screens in cinemas this summer.
When Peter Pan, leader of the Lost Boys, loses his shadow, headstrong Wendy helps him to reattach it. In return, she is invited to Neverland, where Tinker Bell the fairy, Tiger Lily and the vengeful Captain Hook await. A riot of magic, music and make-believe ensues.
A delight for children and adults alike, Sally Cookson (NT Live: Jane Eyre) directs this wondrously inventive production, a co-production with Bristol Old Vic theatre.
Please note this film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
Naughty twins Zip and Zap are punished and sent to summer school at Hope, a strict re-education centre run by Falconetti, who rules with a heavy hand and an eyepatch, and forbids all forms of recreation and entertainment. They form the Marble Gang, the children’s Resistance, in order to defy the evil headmaster.
Guided by intelligence, bravery and unbreakable faith in friendship, they uncover a mysterious secret hidden deep within the school and end up having the most exciting adventure of their lives.
“A slice of wholesome, family-friendly entertainment.” Hollywood Reporter
“A visually lush children’s adventure movie.” Eye For Film
A cross between Harry Potter and The Goonies - you will love this must see Spanish family adventure!
Original title: Zipi y Zape y el club de la canica
11.15Kids' Club: Exclusively for children and their parents or carers. Unaccompanied adults are not admitted.
HOH Subtitled: This screening has subtitles for people with hearing loss
Dogwoof proudly presents the UK premiere of Whitney: Can I Be Me followed by a live satellite Q&A with acclaimed director Nick Broomfield. Broadcast live from Sheffield Doc/Fest, this exclusive event creates the ultimate Whitney moment with largely never-before-seen footage and exclusive live recordings. Whitney Houston was the epitome of superstar, an “American Princess” and the most awarded female artist ever. Even though she made millions of dollars, had more consecutive number ones than The Beatles, and became recognised for having one of the greatest voices of all time, she still wasn’t free to be herself and died at just 48 years old. Whitney: Can I Be Me tells Whitney Houston’s incredible and poignant life story with insights from those closest to her.
Director: Martin Scorsese.
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco. USA 1990. 146 mins.
Henry Hill is a small time gangster, who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito, two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry, however, is badly affected by his partners" success, but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy?
To coincide with a glorious new exhibition at the National Gallery of London, this film offers a full and fresh biography of Michelangelo who, with Leonardo, is considered one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance – and perhaps of all time. This film explores his relationship with his contemporaries and his immense artistic practice which included painting, sculpture and architecture. Among the works explored are the universally adored David in Florence, the Sistine Chapel in Rome and the Manchester Madonna (today in the National Gallery).
A major new film which gets to the very heart of this tempestuous, passionate giant.
HEY DUGGEE- a place for children (and their parents) to have fun, be energetic, and most of all to DO THINGS!
This is an extra special summer bumper edition of Hey Duggee featuring six wonderful epsiodes: Bouncing, Leaf, Surprise, Teddy, Story and Omelette.
The show is based around a children’s playgroup called The Squirrel Club. Its run by a big dog called DUGGEE. The Squirrel Club is a place where kids have adventures and earn badges for their accomplishments.
There are five children who go to the Squirrel club. HAPPY, NORRIE,TAG, BETTY & ROLY. Their parents drop them off every day and they spend a couple of hours having fun and adventures with DUGGEE, in his clubhouse, and outside in his fantastical world before being picked up again at the end of the show.
It’s all about doing things, and DUGGEE likes to do a lot, and go to lots of places.
This gorgeous mixed programme
demonstrates the great creative
vision of Frederick Ashton, Founder
Choreographer of The Royal Ballet.
The Dream is Ashton's adaptation of
Shakespeare's riotous comedy in which
a forest sprite plays havoc, armed with
a love potion. Symphonic Variations
was Ashton's first work after World War
II, and one of the Company's first to be
performed on the huge main stage of
the Royal Opera House, in 1946. With six
dancers performing a series of quartets,
duets, sextets and solos to Franck’s
brooding Variations symphoniques, this
seminal masterpiece celebrates the
pure beauty of movement. Marguerite
and Armand is Ashton's beautiful and
emotional retelling of a well-known
story, familiar to us through Verdi's
opera La traviata. Ashton famously
created this poignant ballet on Margot
Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in 1963.
Director: Stanley Donen.
Starring: Howard Keel, Jane Powell. USA 1954. 102 mins.
When backwoodsman Adam brings his new bride home to his farm, his six unruly brothers decide they would like to get married too. But as Milly sets about turning the unwashed louts into gentlemen, Adam advises the boys to kidnap the objects of their affections rather than woo them.
12.00Dementia-Friendly Screening: Open to all but especially for people with dementia and their family, friends and carers. Join us for free tea, coffee and biscuits and a chance to socialise for 30 minutes before the film. The film will start at the time stated.
From the creative minds at Pixar comes this hilarious, action-packed animated adventure about a seemingly ordinary family with an incredible secret.
Married superheroes Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) are forced to assume mundane lives as Bob and Helen Parr after all super-powered activities have been banned by the government. While Mr. Incredible loves his wife and kids, he longs to return to a life of adventure, and he gets a chance when summoned to an island to battle an out-of-control robot. Soon, Mr. Incredible is in trouble, and it's up to his family to save him.
An enterprising koala puts on the world’s greatest singing show in this hilarious animated comedy. Buster Moon is a koala whose pride and joy is his theatre. But the once grand building has fallen on hard times and looks set to close its doors forever unless Buster can find a way to revive its fortunes. The one idea he has is to put on the world’s greatest singing competition – but will he find the next Leona Lewis or the next Honey G? From acclaimed director Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Son of Rambow) comes this charming and hilariously funny animated comedy featuring the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly and Taron Egerton.
11.00Autism-Friendly: Especially for people on the autism spectrum or with other special needs and their families, friends and carers. Adults without disabilities are only admitted if they are accompanying a child or a person on the autism spectrum/with special needs.
The story has been told before, but never like this. An occupied desert nation. A radical from the wilderness on hunger strike. A girl whose mysterious dance will change the course of the world.
This charged retelling turns the infamous biblical tale on its head, placing the girl we call Salomé at the centre of a revolution.
Internationally acclaimed theatre director Yaël Farber (Les Blancs) draws on multiple accounts to create her urgent, hypnotic production, which will be broadcast live from the stage of the National Theatre.
Paddington Bear finally reaches the silver screen courtesy of director and co-writer Paul King.
Arriving in London from his native Peru with a ‘Please Look After This Bear’ label around his neck, our bewildered ursine friend is fortunately taken in by kindly Mr and Mrs Brown (Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins).
Voiced by Ben Whishaw, and named after the railway station he arrived at, Paddington embarks on a series of bemused adventures as he searches for one of his Aunt Lucy’s (Imelda Staunton) friends and finds himself dodging a malicious taxidermist with an unnatural aversion to bears (Nicole Kidman).
This charming amalgam of CGI, animatronics and live action will delight fans old and new of the perennially popular children’s books by Michael Bond.
Director: Michael Mann.
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Diana Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman. USA 1995. 171 mins.
Two of America’s finest, most charismatic film actors came together for the first time on screen in Michael Mann’s highly intelligent, stylish, violent thriller – and the result is electrifying. An absorbing duel between two men – one the icy cool mastermind of a criminal gang specialising in high-risk, high-yield heists (De Niro), the other the dogged detective assigned to his case (Pacino) – plays out on the battleground of contemporary LA, a moody, ever shifting city of twisted morals and crumbling relationships. Beautifully crafted, superbly paced and boasting a superlative heist gone wrong among several unforgettable sequences, Heat brought Michael Mann the recognition he long deserved as one of America's most talented directors.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, we’re exploring our collective past through a season of exceptional British movies.
Love Is The Devil
Director: John Maybury. Starring: Derek Jacobi, Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton. UK 1998. 90 mins.
John Maybury’s daring art biopic stars Derek Jacobi as Francis Bacon and Daniel Craig as his muse, a small-time thief drawn into the painter’s bohemian circle. Tilda Swinton gives a standout performance as the foul-mouthed proprietress of the legendary Colony Room, the Soho club that served as a hub for the group, which also included photographer John Deakin and artist Isabel Rawsthorne.
18.30Criminal Acts: A Charged Past: A season to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.
Discover Tuesdays: Discover stunning cinema. Whether it's a cult classic, an art-house gem or a riveting documentary, there will always be a chance to see something different and brilliant in our weekly slot.
World-famous tenor Jonas Kaufmann makes his role debut as Otello in Verdi's passionate retelling of Shakespeare's great tragedy of jealousy, deception and murder. Soprano Maria Agresta will be his Desdemona and baritone Ludovic Tézier his nemesis Iago in a new production by Olivier Awardwinning director Keith Warner.
A major work of the opera repertory, Verdi's Otello draws on the full forces of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Royal Opera Chorus and this stellar line-up of principal singers, with exquisite duets, emotionally potent solo numbers and thrilling choruses.
Particular highlights include Otello and Desdemona's rapturous love duet and Desdemona's poignant 'Willow Song'. Royal Opera Music Director Antonio Pappano conducts this Italian masterpiece.
Director: Andew J. Cohen. Starring: Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Allison Tolman. USA 2017. 88mins.
After Scott and Kate Johansen (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) lose their daughter Alex’s college fund, they become desperate to earn it back so she can pursue her dream of attending a university. With the help of their neighbor Frank (Jason Mantzoukas), they decide to start an illegal casino in his house.
Director: Kelly Asbury.
Starring: Demi Lovato, Jack McBrayer, Joe Mananiello, Danny Pudi. USA 2017. 89 mins.
Shrek 2 director Kelly Asbury helms the latest computer-animated children’s adventure featuring the loveable little blue humanoids. This time around Smurfette (Lovato) briefly meets a very familiar-looking creature in the Forbidden Forest, who leaves behind a mysterious map that suggests the whereabouts of a magical lost village.
Intrigued, she sets out with her best friends Clumsy (McBrayer), Hefty (Mananiello) and Brainy (Pudi) to get there before their wicked wizard foe, Gargamel (Rainn Wilson), who’s out to harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf essence. After many madcap adventures full of action and danger, they discover the biggest secret in Smurf history. Fun for all the family, but especially for the under-10s.
World-famous tenor Jonas Kaufmann
makes his role debut as Otello in Verdi's
passionate retelling of Shakespeare's
great tragedy of jealousy, deception
and murder. Soprano Maria Agresta
will be his Desdemona and baritone
Ludovic Tézier his nemesis Iago in a
new production by Olivier Awardwinning
director Keith Warner.
A major work of the opera repertory,
Verdi's Otello draws on the full forces
of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera
House, the Royal Opera Chorus and
this stellar line-up of principal singers,
with exquisite duets, emotionally potent
solo numbers and thrilling choruses.
Particular highlights include Otello
and Desdemona's rapturous love
duet and Desdemona's poignant
'Willow Song'. Royal Opera Music
Director Antonio Pappano conducts
this Italian masterpiece.
Perched high above the picturesque coast of Sicily and sitting under the shadow of Mt. Etna, Teatro Antico di Taormina has inspired artists for over 2000 years – from the ancient Greeks and Romans to Woody Allen and today’s opera stars.
Every summer, this romantic and dramatic setting welcomes opera lovers from all over the world. 2017 is no exception, with the staging of Puccini’s La bohème, the tragic love story between a young poet and a seamstress. Directed by Enrico Castiglione, this retelling of the timeless classic will enchant cinema audiences with its intense melodic lyrics, original and refined harmony, instrumental light feel and nuances which are all unmistakable and unique.
For one night only, come and experience this spectacular opera on the big screen, live from Taormina, Sicily!
Be part of a major new operatic work – join us for the world premiere of Brett Dean’s new opera based on Shakespeare’s best-known tragedy.
Brett Dean’s colourful, energetic, witty and richly lyrical music expertly captures the modernity of this timeless tale, while Matthew Jocelyn’s libretto is pure Shakespeare.
A cast of some of the finest singing actors of the moment will bring Hamlet to life. British tenor and Glyndebourne favourite Allan Clayton will play Hamlet. British mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly will play Gertrude and Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan will make her Glyndebourne debut as Ophelia. Legendary British bass John Tomlinson plays The Ghost of Old Hamlet.
Hamlet will be conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, Glyndebourne’s former Music Director.
Neil Armfield has directed numerous productions for Opera Australia, including their first full-length presentation of The Ring Cycle. He is the director of the acclaimed films Candy and Holding the Man.
‘The themes of life and death, love and betrayal have opera written all over them.’
—Brett Dean, Composer
Sung in English with English supertitles
Also on screen this summer: a timeless production of La traviata (captured live in 2014) and a new production of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (live).
Director: Tom McGrath.
Voices: Miles Christopher Bakshi, Alec Baldwin, Lisa Kudrow. USA 2017. 97 mins.
As any exhausted parent will tell you, a baby is the real boss of every family. This hilarious animation from DreamWorks, creators of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon, takes that idea and toddles off fabulously somewhere kind of crazy with it. For seven idyllic years, Tim Templeton (Bakshi) has enjoyed the perfect life with his adoring parents (Kimmel and Kudrow). Then his new baby brother arrives. And he’s a very unusual baby brother indeed: he wears a suit, carries a briefcase and, unbeknownst to Tim’s parents, talks with the voice of Alec Baldwin. Tim is the only one not amused, but the two warring siblings reluctantly team up to foil a dastardly plot involving puppies. Expect poop jokes.
A collaboration between American film-maker Sofia Coppola and Italian haute couture king Valentino comes in the form of a revival of Giuseppe Verdi’s classic opera, LA TRAVIATA.
Violetta Valéry is a well-known courtesan in Paris whose life appears to be glamorous, but who also suffers from a serious illness. She lives on the money given to her by her male patrons. But when she meets Alfredo Germont, a young man from a good family, they fall in love and move to the country. Alfredo’s father disapproves of their relationship and comes to tell Violetta that her involvement with Alfredo will ruin his family’s reputation. Out of her love for Alfredo, Violetta agrees to leave him and returns to Paris. Thinking she has betrayed him, Alfredo is heartbroken. He follows her to a party and publicly insults her. A few months later, Violetta is close to death. Alfredo, who has learned why Violetta left him, returns to her. He is shocked by her weakness as she strains to get to her feet. They vow to be together forever, but she soon collapses and breathes her last.
Directors: Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly
Starring: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Ann Miller. USA 1949. 98 mins.
Producer Arthur Freed turned New York into a giant sound stage for this hectic 'sailors on leave' romantic comedy, which is notable not only for the superb Leonard Bernstein score but also for the musical numbers shot on location. Few dance sequences in film are as fresh, exhilarating and imaginative as the ballet on top of the Empire State Building.
12.00Dementia-Friendly Screening: Open to all but especially for people with dementia and their family, friends and carers. Join us for free tea, coffee and biscuits and a chance to socialise for 30 minutes before the film. The film will start at the time stated.
Director: Kelly Asbury.
Starring: Demi Lovato, Jack McBrayer, Joe Mananiello, Danny Pudi. USA 2017. 89 mins.
Shrek 2 director Kelly Asbury helms the latest computer-animated children’s adventure featuring the loveable little blue humanoids. This time around Smurfette (Lovato) briefly meets a very familiar-looking creature in the Forbidden Forest, who leaves behind a mysterious map that suggests the whereabouts of a magical lost village.
Intrigued, she sets out with her best friends Clumsy (McBrayer), Hefty (Mananiello) and Brainy (Pudi) to get there before their wicked wizard foe, Gargamel (Rainn Wilson), who’s out to harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf essence. After many madcap adventures full of action and danger, they discover the biggest secret in Smurf history. Fun for all the family, but especially for the under-10s.
11.00Autism-Friendly: Especially for people on the autism spectrum or with other special needs and their families, friends and carers. Adults without disabilities are only admitted if they are accompanying a child or a person on the autism spectrum/with special needs.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, we’re exploring our collective past through a season of exceptional British movies.
Weekend
Director: Andrew Haigh. Starring: Tom Cullen, Chris New. UK 2011. 97 mins.
Andrew Haigh’s modern classic, a breakout hit and a milestone in British cinema, sees two young men find a one-night-stand turning into something far more serious. As their relationship deepens, they debate their daily struggles in an overwhelmingly straight world, and come to realise that despite almost half a century of progress, the fight for social equality is far from over.
18.20Criminal Acts: A Charged Past: A season to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.
Discover Tuesdays: Discover stunning cinema. Whether it's a cult classic, an art-house gem or a riveting documentary, there will always be a chance to see something different and brilliant in our weekly slot.
America in the mid-1980s. In the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell.
Andrew Garfield (Silence, Hacksaw Ridge) plays Prior Walter along with a cast including Denise Gough (People, Places and Things), Nathan Lane (The Producers), James McArdle (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Russell Tovey (The Pass).
This new staging of Tony Kushner’s multi-award winning two-part play is directed by Olivier and Tony award winning director Marianne Elliott (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse). Part One: Millennium Approaches was first performed at the National Theatre in 1992 and was followed by Part Two: Perestroika the following year.
Part One: Millennium Approaches will be broadcast live on 20 July 2017.
Known to millions as ‘The King of Waltz’, André Rieu is one of the world’s most popular music artists. His legendary annual Maastricht concert is the most eagerly anticipated cinema event of the year, last year setting new box office records in several countries.
Set against the stunning medieval backdrop of the town square in André’s Dutch hometown, the spectacular Maastricht concert features the maestro in his element, along with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra, sopranos, tenors and very special guests. André delivers an unforgettable musical experience full of humour, fun and emotion for all ages.
This year is a very special year because it is exactly 30 years ago that André Rieu started his Johann Strauss Orchestra in his hometown of Maastricht. From a small group of musicians rehearsing in the classroom of André’s son’s primary school to stadiums and concert halls around the world – what a journey it has been!
Just for cinema audiences, host Charlotte Hawkins will conduct an interview with André Rieu the moment he steps off stage.
Known to millions as ‘The King of Waltz’, André Rieu is one of the world’s most popular music artists. His legendary annual Maastricht concert is the most eagerly anticipated cinema event of the year, last year setting new box office records in several countries.
Set against the stunning medieval backdrop of the town square in André’s Dutch hometown, the spectacular Maastricht concert features the maestro in his element, along with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra, sopranos, tenors and very special guests. André delivers an unforgettable musical experience full of humour, fun and emotion for all ages.
This year is a very special year because it is exactly 30 years ago that André Rieu started his Johann Strauss Orchestra in his hometown of Maastricht. From a small group of musicians rehearsing in the classroom of André’s son’s primary school to stadiums and concert halls around the world – what a journey it has been!
Just for cinema audiences, host Charlotte Hawkins will conduct an interview with André Rieu the moment he steps off stage.
America in the mid-1980s. In the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell.
Andrew Garfield (Silence, Hacksaw Ridge) plays Prior Walter along with a cast including Denise Gough (People, Places and Things), Nathan Lane (The Producers), James McArdle (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Russell Tovey (The Pass).
This new staging of Tony Kushner’s multi-award winning two-part play is directed by Olivier and Tony award winning director Marianne Elliott (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse). Part One: Millennium Approaches was first performed at the National Theatre in 1992 and was followed by Part Two: Perestroika the following year.
Part One: Millennium Approaches will be broadcast live on 20 July 2017.
Spurned by Tito, Vitellia seeks revenge. Besotted Sesto agrees to avenge her as a token of his love, but all does not go to plan. A brand new take on one of Mozart’s final works.
Vitellia’s path to the throne is thwarted by the man who deposed her father, so she presses her admirer Sesto to murder him.
Driven by love, Sesto does his worst. But in return, receives a lesson in forgiveness.
Conducted by Robin Ticciati and directed by Claus Guth, Mozart’s opera delivers all of the sublime musical beauty and heart-tugging humanity we expect of him.
Loosely based on the life of the Roman Emperor Titus, La clemenza di Tito distills the suspense of Don Giovanni, the warmth of The Marriage of Figaro, and the nobility of The Magic Flute into one powerful parable of love and friendship, vengeance and mercy.
Australian tenor Steve Davislim makes his Glyndebourne debut as Tito, with Alice Coote as Vitellia and Kate Lindsey as Sesto.
Sung in Italian with English supertitles.
Also on screen this summer: a timeless production of La traviata (captured live in 2014) and Brett Dean’s brand new Shakespeare-inspired opera, Hamlet (live).
The decay of Rome reaches violent depths in Shakespeare’s bloodiest play. Blanche McIntyre (The Two Noble Kinsmen) returns to the RSC to direct Shakespeare’s brutal revenge tragedy.
Titus is a ruler exhausted by war and loss. He relinquishes power, but leaves Rome in disorder. Rape, cannibalism and mutilation fill the moral void at the heart of this corrupt society.
Shakespeare presents us with murder as entertainment and, as the body count rises, poses questions about sexuality, family, class and society.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, we’re exploring our collective past through a season of exceptional British movies.
Early ’60s London, and gay men across the city are being blackmailed, threatening exposure at a time when consensual homosexual acts could still result in imprisonment. Basil Dearden’s classic thriller stars Dirk Bogarde in his most daring role, as a gay lawyer fighting back against the blackmailers who dare to target him.
18.10Criminal Acts: A Charged Past: A season to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.
Discover Tuesdays: Discover stunning cinema. Whether it's a cult classic, an art-house gem or a riveting documentary, there will always be a chance to see something different and brilliant in our weekly slot.
The incredible Billie Piper (Penny Dreadful, Great Britain) returns in her Evening Standard Best Actress award-winning role. A young woman is driven to the unthinkable by her desperate desire to have a child in Simon Stone’s radical production of Lorca’s achingly powerful masterpiece. The unmissable theatre phenomenon sold out at the Young Vic and critics call it “an extraordinary theatrical triumph” (The Times) and “stunning, searing, unmissable” (Mail on Sunday). Billie Piper’s lead performance is described as “spellbinding” (The Evening Standard), “astonishing” (iNews) and “devastatingly powerful” (The Daily Telegraph). Set in contemporary London, Piper’s portrayal of a woman in her thirties desperate to conceive builds with elemental force to a staggering, shocking, climax. Please note that this broadcast does not have an interval.
★★★★★
“Brutal yet ferociously funny” - Metro
★★★★★
“Billie Piper makes a shattering Yerma in Simon Stone’s inspired reworking of Lorca” - The Observer
★★★★★
“A shatteringly powerful reinvention of a familiar classic” - The Independent
In aid of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors without Borders (MSF)
7 September 2017
Join us for a unique celebration of John le Carré’s work as he discusses the full breadth of his career – from his extraordinary Cold War novels to his powerful descriptions of the arms trade and the war on terror – and reflects on the continuing story of his most famous creation, the tubby, bespectacled spy, George Smiley.
Featuring readings from his new novel A Legacy Of Spies, and a rare Q&A session, this will be an unmissable opportunity to experience the author direct and in his own words.
The event will be broadcast live to cinemas across the UK and Europe from London’s Royal Festival Hall.
In support of MSF, the leading emergency medical humanitarian aid organisation, John le Carré is donating his speaker’s fee, and the producers of the live cinema broadcast, The Ink Factory, are donating their share of the profits to the charity.
Mozart’s glorious opera 'The Magic Flute' is brought enchantingly to life in David McVicar’s production with beautiful sets by John Macfarlane. Prince Tamino promises the Queen of the Night that he will rescue her daughter Pamina from the enchanter Sarastro. He begins his quest, accompanied by the bird-catcher Papageno – but all is not as it seems…
David McVicar’s classic production embraces both the seriousness and comedy of Mozart’s work. The audience is transported to a fantastical world of dancing animals, flying machines and dazzlingly starry skies. The setting provides a wonderful backdrop for Mozart’s kaleidoscopic score, from the Queen of the Night’s coloratura fireworks to Tamino and Pamina’s lyrical love duets and Papageno’s hearty, folksong-like arias.
As well as being a comedy 'The Magic Flute' is an expression of Mozart’s profound spiritual beliefs: Enlightenment concerns with the search for wisdom and virtue are at the heart of this enchanting tale. The Magic Flute was an instant success with audiences and Mozart’s supposed rival Salieri described it as an ‘operone’ – a great opera.
When Rodolfo, a penniless poet, meets Mimì, a seamstress, they fall instantly in love. But their happiness is threatened when Rodolfo learns that Mimì is gravely ill.
Acclaimed director Richard Jones (Boris Godunov, Il trittico) directs a new production of Puccini’s 'La bohème'. Irresistible in its witty, passionate blend of comedy and tragedy, the opera focusses on the lives of a groupof young artists as they eke out an existence on the bohemian fringes of Paris, the capital of the 19th century. Jones brings his characteristically acute insight to this much-loved classic, visualized in Stewart Laing’s spectacular, stylized 1850s setting.
Puccini’s romantic depiction of bohemian Paris, with memorable music and a love story drawn from everyday life, has captivated audiences around the world, making La bohème one of the best-loved of all operas. It was first performed in Covent Garden in 1897 and has had more than five hundred performances there since.
A full-throttle war play that revels in the sweat of the battlefield, Coriolanus transports us back to the emergence of the republic of Rome.
Caius Martius Coriolanus is a fearless soldier but a reluctant leader. His ambitious mother attempts to carve him a path to political power, but he struggles to change his nature and do what is required to achieve greatness. In this new city state struggling to find its feet, where the gap between rich and poor is widening every day, Coriolanus must decide who he really is and where his allegiances lie.
Rome Season Director, Angus Jackson, completes the Royal Shakespeare Company’s collection of Shakespeare’s Roman plays with a visceral production which sees Sope Dirisu (One Night in Miami, Donmar Warehouse, 2016) take on the title role.
At a garden party on a sunny afternoon, Alice is surprised to see her parents’ friend Lewis Carroll transform into a white rabbit. When she follows him down a rabbit hole events become curiouser and curiouser… As Alice journeys through Wonderland, she encounters countless strange creatures. She’s swept off her feet by the charming Knave of Hearts, who’s on the run for stealing the tarts. Confusion piles upon confusion. Then Alice wakes with a start. Was it all a daydream?
Christopher Wheeldon’s 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland' burst onto the stage in 2011 in an explosion of colour, stage magic and inventive, sophisticated choreography. Joby Talbot’s score combines contemporary soundworlds with sweeping melodies that gesture to ballet scores of the 19th century. Bob Crowley’s wildly imaginative, eye-popping designs draw on everything from puppetry to projections to make Wonderland wonderfully real.
Alice encounters a cast of extraordinary and instantly recognizable characters, from the highly strung Queen of Hearts – who performs a hilarious send-up of The Sleeping Beauty's famous Rose Adage – to a playing-card corps de ballet, a sinuous caterpillar and a tap-dancing Mad Hatter. But the ballet does not avoid the darker undercurrents of Lewis Carroll’s story: a nightmarish kitchen, an eerily disembodied Cheshire Cat and the unhinged tea party are all here in vivid detail. The delicious result shows The Royal Ballet at its best, bringing together world-class dance with enchanting family entertainment.
Leaving the world of J-pop behind her, Mima Kirigoe begins life as an actress on a crime drama show called Double Blind. When offered a lead role in the show as a rape victim, Mima accepts in spite of her manager’s reservations. However, the backlash from fans over her career change and a strange website called ‘Mima's Room’, written by a fake Mima, begin to worry her. When a stalker appears and people involved in Double Blind begin turning up dead, with all the evidence pointing to her, Mima is thrown into a state of confusion, madness and paranoia.
The young Clara creeps downstairs on Christmas Eve to play with her favourite present – a Nutcracker doll. But the mysterious magician Drosselmeyer is waiting to sweep her off on a magical adventure. After defeating the Mouse King, the Nutcracker and Clara travel through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy treats them to a wonderful display of dances. Back home, Clara thinks she must have been dreaming – but doesn’t she recognize Drosselmeyer’s nephew?
Peter Wright’s nigh-on definitive production for The Royal Ballet ranks as one of the most enduring and enchanting versions of 'The Nutcracker'. With its festive period setting, dancing snowflakes and enchanting stage magic, Lev Ivanov’s 1892 ballet has become the perfect Christmas entertainment, with Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous, sugar-spun music the most recognizable of all ballet scores.
Loosely based on the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the ballet opens with a lively Christmas party, its Victorian setting captured in opulent detail by Julia Trevelyan Oman’s designs. Wright’s choreography ingeniously incorporates surviving fragments of the ballet’s original material, including the sublime pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. But in emphasizing the relationship between Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, the production also gains a touching subtext of first love.
The corruption of innocence is at the heart of Verdi’s potent tragedy in David McVicar’s production for The Royal Opera. Rigoletto, court jester to the libertine Duke of Mantua, is cursed by the father of one of the Duke’s victims for his irreverent laughter. When the Duke seduces Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda, it seems the curse is taking effect…
David McVicar’s production highlights the cruelty at the heart of the court of Mantua. Richly dressed courtiers engage in orgies and revelries to Verdi’s heady, spirited dances. The opera’s many musical highlights include the ebullient ‘La donna è mobile’, in which the Duke boasts of his disregard for women; Gilda’s exquisite, plangent duets with Rigoletto and the Duke; and the gorgeous Act III quartet that beautifully weaves the voices together as the story quickens to its shattering conclusion.
Giuseppe Verdi wrote in 1855 that Rigoletto was his ‘best opera’. He had had to overcome state censorship to stage it – the censors objected to its depiction of an immoral ruler – but he was vindicated by the premiere’s huge success in 1851. Rigoletto was performed 250 times in the next 10 years and has remained one of the most popular of all operas.
'Tosca' is one of the great evenings of opera, and from its strident opening chords conjures up a world of political instability and menace.
Jonathan Kent’s production for The Royal Opera captures the dangerous political turbulence of Rome in 1800. The Chief of Police, Scarpia – one of the most malevolent villains in opera – ruthlessly pursues and tortures enemies of the state. His dark, demonic music contrasts with the expansive melodies of the idealistic lovers, Tosca and Cavaradossi, who express their passion in sublime arias, including ‘Vissi d’arte’ and ‘E lucevan le stelle’. Giacomo Puccini’s dramatic work was a hit with audiences on its 1900 premiere and it remains one of the most performed of all operas – with its gripping plot and glorious music, it’s easy to see why.
A candle-lit church, Scarpia’s gloomy study with its hidden torture chamber and the false optimism of a Roman dawn: this handsome production throws into relief the ruthlessly taut drama, as the tension is wound up towards a fateful conclusion. Puccini’s meticulously researched score is infused with the same authentic detail, from distant cannon fire during the Act I Te Deum to tolling church bells and the sounds of a firing squad.
'I am all the daughters of my father's house,
And all the brothers too.'
Twelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love – hilarious and heartbreaking. Two twins are separated in a shipwreck, and forced to fend for themselves in a strange land. The first twin, Viola, falls in love with Orsino, who dotes on OIivia, who falls for Viola but is idolised by Malvolio. Enter Sebastian, who is the spitting image of his twin sister...
Christopher Luscombe, Director of the ‘glorious’ (Daily Telegraph) Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing (2014 and 2016), returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company to tackle Shakespeare’s greatest comedy, a brilliantly bittersweet account of "the whirligig of time".
Christopher Wheeldon, Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet, created his adaptation of Shakespeare’s late great romance 'The Winter’s Tale' for The Royal Ballet in 2014. Building on the success of 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland', T'he Winter’s Tale' received ecstatic praise at its premiere, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for its intelligent, distinctive and emotionally powerful story, told through exquisite dance. It is now widely judged to be a modern ballet classic.
The story follows the destruction of a marriage through consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet, through remorse and regret – and after a seemingly miraculous return to life – the ending is one of forgiveness and reconciliation. With powerful designs by Bob Crowley and atmospheric music by Joby Talbot, The Winter’s Tale is a masterful modern narrative ballet.
'Carmen' is the best-known work by French composer Georges Bizet, and one of the most famous operas in the entire art form – numbers such as the Habanera and the Toreador Song have permeated the popular consciousness as little else has. The opera’s heady combination of passion, sensuality and violence initially proved too much for the stage, and it was a critical failure on its 1875 premiere. Bizet died shortly after, and never learned of the spectacular success his Carmen would achieve: the opera has been performed more than five hundred times at Covent Garden alone.
This ever-popular opera is given a fresh point of view in Barrie Kosky’s highly physical production, originally created for Frankfurt Opera. The Australian director is one of the world’s most sought-after opera directors, whose Royal Opera debut with Shostakovich’s The Nose in 2016 was greeted with delight. For Carmen he has devised a far-from-traditional version, incorporating music written by Bizet for the score but not usually heard, and giving a new voice to the opera’s endlessly fascinating central character.
Leonard Bernstein was one of the first classical composers in America to achieve both popular and critical acclaim. He was eclectic in his sources – drawing on jazz and modernism, the traditions of Jewish music and the Broadway musical – and many of Bernstein’s scores are remarkably well suited to dance. He was particularly associated with Jerome Robbins, their credits together including Fancy Free and West Side Story. To celebrate the centenary year of the composer’s birth, The Royal Ballet has united all three of its associate choreographers to celebrate the dynamic range and danceability of Bernstein’s music.
The programme includes two world premieres by Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, marking each artist’s first foray into Bernstein. At the heart of the programme is the first revival of Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett’s The Age of Anxiety, created in 2014 to Bernstein’s soul-searching Second Symphony. Both symphony and ballet are inspired by W.H. Auden’s masterful modernist poem, itself written in response to the atmosphere of disillusionment and uncertainty that followed the end of World War II.
Verdi’s life-long love affair with Shakespeare’s works began with Macbeth, a play he considered to be ‘one of the greatest creations of man’. With his librettist, Francesco Maria Piave, Verdi set out to create ‘something out of the ordinary’. Their success is borne out in every bar of a score that sees Verdi at his most theatrical: it bristles with demonic energy.
The warrior Macbeth fights on the side of the King of Scotland – but when a coven of witches prophesy that he shall become king himself, a ruthless ambition drives Macbeth and his wife to horrific acts.Murder makes Macbeth king, and intrigue and butchery are the hallmarks of his brief, doomed reign. The witches make another prediction, which also comes true: Macbeth and his lady lose their lives, and justice is restored.
Phyllida Lloyd’s 2002 production for The Royal Opera is richly hued, shot through with black, red and gold. The witches – imagined by designer Anthony Ward as strange, scarlet-turbaned creatures – are ever-present agents of fate. Lloyd depicts the Macbeths’ childlessness as the dark sadness lurking behind their terrible deeds. The Royal Opera’s production uses Verdi’s 1865 Paris revision of the opera, which includes Lady Macbeth’s riveting aria ‘La luce langue’.
Manon’s brother Lescaut is offering her to the highest bidder when she meets Des Grieux and falls in love. They elope to Paris, but when Monsieur G.M. offers Manon a life of luxury as his mistress she can’t resist. With the Lescauts’ encouragement Des Grieux cheats at cards in an attempt to win Monsieur G.M.’s fortune. They are caught. Manon is arrested as a prostitute and deported to New Orleans, followed by Des Grieux. On the run, Manon dies from exhaustion.
Kenneth MacMillan’s source for Manon was the 18th-century French novel already adapted for opera by Massenet and Puccini. The premiere was given on 7 March 1974, with the lead roles danced by Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell. The ballet quickly became a staple of The Royal Ballet’s repertory, and a touchstone of adult, dramatic dance.
MacMillan found new sympathy with the capricious Manon and her struggle to escape poverty. Designs by his regular collaborator Nicholas Georgiadis reflect this, depicting a world of lavish splendour polluted by miserable destitution. MacMillan’s spectacular ensemble scenes for the whole Company create vivid, complex portraits of the distinct societies of Paris and New Orleans. But it is Manon and Des Grieux’s impassioned pas de deux – recalling the intensity of MacMillan’s earlier Romeo and Juliet – that drive this tragic story, and make Manon one of MacMillan’s most powerful dramas.
'Swan Lake' has had a special role in the repertory of The Royal Ballet since 1934. This Season The Royal Ballet creates a new production with additional choreography by Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett. While remaining faithful to the Petipa-Ivanov text, Scarlett will bring fresh eyes to the staging of this classic ballet, in collaboration with his long-term designer John Macfarlane.
Prince Siegfried chances upon a fl ock of swans while out hunting. When one of the swans turns into a beautiful woman, Odette, he is enraptured. But she is under a spell that holds her captive, allowing her to regain her human form only at night.
'Swan Lake' was Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score. Given its status today as arguably the best loved and most admired of all classical ballets, it is perhaps surprising that at its premiere in 1877 Swan Lake was poorly received. It is thanks to the 1895 production by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov that Swan Lake has become part of not only ballet consciousness but also wider popular culture. That success is secured not only by the sublime, symphonic sweep of Tchaikovsky’s score, but also by the striking choreographic contrasts between Petipa’s royal palace scenes and the lyric lakeside scenes created by Ivanov.
