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Amidst a bustling market, the pirate Conrad falls in love at first sight with the beautiful Medora, the ward of the slave merchant Lankedem’s bazaar. Conrad kidnaps Medora when Lanquedem decides to sell her to the Pasha.
Inspired by Lord Byron’s epic poem and reworked by Alexei Ratmansky from Petipa’s exotic 19th century classic, this miracle of the repertoire is one of the Bolshoi’s most lavish productions. Complete with a magnificent awe-inspring shipwreck and dramatic scenery, this grand romance allows enough dancing for nearly the entire company and made especially for those who seek miracles in theatre.
Director: Armando Iannucci.
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend. France/UK 2017. 107 mins.
The internal political landscape of 1950s Soviet Russia takes on darkly comic form in a new film by Oscar-nominated writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In The Loop, The Thick Of It). In the days following Stalin’s collapse, the machinations of senior party officials and courtiers kick into overdrive. Some want positive change in the Soviet Union; others have more sinister motives. But behind all the collusion, backstabbing and strong-arming, the jostling ministers have one thing in common – they’re just desperate to stay alive. Based on the graphic novel by French writer Fabian Nury, Iannucci’s script is loaded with acerbic, politically incorrect conversation, which is delivered by some of the finest and funniest character actors from both sides of the pond.
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall. UK 2017. 71 mins.
Janet (Scott Thomas) has just been appointed to a key ministerial position in the shadow cabinet – the crowning achievement of her political career. She and her husband Bill (Spall) plan to celebrate this with a few close friends. As the guests arrive at their home in London, the party takes an unexpected turn when Bill suddenly makes some explosive revelations that take everyone present by surprise. What follows is a hilarious comedy of tragic proportions in which love, friendships and political convictions are soon called into question. From acclaimed British filmmaker Sally Potter, The Party is a smart, fast-paced film full of razor-sharp one-liners that perfectly suits these turbulent times.
Andie (Ringwald) is one of the not-so-popular girls in high school, with her weird punk makeup and clothes. She usually hangs out with her geek friends Iona and Duckie, but with the prom coming up, she has to choose between them and the popular set when she falls for new rich guy Blane. Will she sell out or will she stay true to her wrong-side-of-the-tracks roots?
This seminal '80s brat-pack movie transcends the teen-flick genre with a set of spot-on performances, great '80s pop and a heart-rending finale at the prom.
12.00We ♥ John Hughes: Brain, athlete, basket case, princess or criminal - revisit your misspent youth in 2017 with our We ♥ John Hughes season
Vintage Sundays: Classic films back on the big screen where they belong.
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.
Director: Armando Iannucci.
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend. France/UK 2017. 107 mins.
The internal political landscape of 1950s Soviet Russia takes on darkly comic form in a new film by Oscar-nominated writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In The Loop, The Thick Of It). In the days following Stalin’s collapse, the machinations of senior party officials and courtiers kick into overdrive. Some want positive change in the Soviet Union; others have more sinister motives. But behind all the collusion, backstabbing and strong-arming, the jostling ministers have one thing in common – they’re just desperate to stay alive. Based on the graphic novel by French writer Fabian Nury, Iannucci’s script is loaded with acerbic, politically incorrect conversation, which is delivered by some of the finest and funniest character actors from both sides of the pond.
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall. UK 2017. 71 mins.
Janet (Scott Thomas) has just been appointed to a key ministerial position in the shadow cabinet – the crowning achievement of her political career. She and her husband Bill (Spall) plan to celebrate this with a few close friends. As the guests arrive at their home in London, the party takes an unexpected turn when Bill suddenly makes some explosive revelations that take everyone present by surprise. What follows is a hilarious comedy of tragic proportions in which love, friendships and political convictions are soon called into question. From acclaimed British filmmaker Sally Potter, The Party is a smart, fast-paced film full of razor-sharp one-liners that perfectly suits these turbulent times.
Director: Armando Iannucci.
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend. France/UK 2017. 107 mins.
The internal political landscape of 1950s Soviet Russia takes on darkly comic form in a new film by Oscar-nominated writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In The Loop, The Thick Of It). In the days following Stalin’s collapse, the machinations of senior party officials and courtiers kick into overdrive. Some want positive change in the Soviet Union; others have more sinister motives. But behind all the collusion, backstabbing and strong-arming, the jostling ministers have one thing in common – they’re just desperate to stay alive. Based on the graphic novel by French writer Fabian Nury, Iannucci’s script is loaded with acerbic, politically incorrect conversation, which is delivered by some of the finest and funniest character actors from both sides of the pond.
10.30Silver 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.
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall. UK 2017. 71 mins.
Janet (Scott Thomas) has just been appointed to a key ministerial position in the shadow cabinet – the crowning achievement of her political career. She and her husband Bill (Spall) plan to celebrate this with a few close friends. As the guests arrive at their home in London, the party takes an unexpected turn when Bill suddenly makes some explosive revelations that take everyone present by surprise. What follows is a hilarious comedy of tragic proportions in which love, friendships and political convictions are soon called into question. From acclaimed British filmmaker Sally Potter, The Party is a smart, fast-paced film full of razor-sharp one-liners that perfectly suits these turbulent times.
Director: David Lowery.
Starring: Casey Affleck. Rooney Mara. USA 2017. 92 mins.
The latest film from acclaimed director David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Pete’s Dragon) is a singular exploration of legacy, loss, and the essential human longing for meaning and connection. A white-sheeted ghost (Affleck) returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife (Mara), only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, forced to watch passively as the life he knew and the woman he loves slowly slip away. Increasingly unmoored, the ghost embarks on a cosmic journey through memory and history, confronting life’s ineffable questions and the enormity of existence. An audacious, unforgettable meditation on the passage of time, A Ghost Story emerges ecstatic and surreal – a wholly unique experience that lingers long after the credits roll.
Contains infrequent strong language, images of dead bodies.
Join the UK’s favourite little green tractor, Tractor Ted, as we present “Tractor Ted All About Harvesters” on the Big Screen from Friday 20th October 2017; a perfect treat for half-term!
Tractor Ted shows us lots of huge harvesters and we get to see the amazing work that they do harvesting food for us and for the farm animals.
Farmer Tom is busy on the farm getting in the maize. Luckily the children are there to save the farmer before he loses the grain from his combine!
Full of real life farming footage and plenty of big farm machines for your little one to enjoy!
Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami - Live with Friends promises to be thrilling and enlightening evening with the inimitable icon, as she discusses her life and work with some of her closest collaborators from the worlds of music, fashion, art and film. The discussion follows an exclusive preview of Sophie Fiennes’ highly anticipated new film Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami takes the viewer on an intimate and electrifying journey that moves between four cinematic layers – performance, family, artist and gypsy – to explore the fascinating world of a pop-culture phenomenon. Here we see the daughter, mother, sister and grandmother behind the mask, and she takes to the stage for a specially commissioned performance that showcases legendary hits like Pull Up To The Bumper and Slave To The Rhythm. Larger than life, bordering on cartoon, wild, scary and androgynous – Grace Jones plays all these parts.
Director: Armando Iannucci.
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend. France/UK 2017. 107 mins.
The internal political landscape of 1950s Soviet Russia takes on darkly comic form in a new film by Oscar-nominated writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In The Loop, The Thick Of It). In the days following Stalin’s collapse, the machinations of senior party officials and courtiers kick into overdrive. Some want positive change in the Soviet Union; others have more sinister motives. But behind all the collusion, backstabbing and strong-arming, the jostling ministers have one thing in common – they’re just desperate to stay alive. Based on the graphic novel by French writer Fabian Nury, Iannucci’s script is loaded with acerbic, politically incorrect conversation, which is delivered by some of the finest and funniest character actors from both sides of the pond.
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall. UK 2017. 71 mins.
Janet (Scott Thomas) has just been appointed to a key ministerial position in the shadow cabinet – the crowning achievement of her political career. She and her husband Bill (Spall) plan to celebrate this with a few close friends. As the guests arrive at their home in London, the party takes an unexpected turn when Bill suddenly makes some explosive revelations that take everyone present by surprise. What follows is a hilarious comedy of tragic proportions in which love, friendships and political convictions are soon called into question. From acclaimed British filmmaker Sally Potter, The Party is a smart, fast-paced film full of razor-sharp one-liners that perfectly suits these turbulent times.
Director: Armando Iannucci.
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend. France/UK 2017. 107 mins.
The internal political landscape of 1950s Soviet Russia takes on darkly comic form in a new film by Oscar-nominated writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In The Loop, The Thick Of It). In the days following Stalin’s collapse, the machinations of senior party officials and courtiers kick into overdrive. Some want positive change in the Soviet Union; others have more sinister motives. But behind all the collusion, backstabbing and strong-arming, the jostling ministers have one thing in common – they’re just desperate to stay alive. Based on the graphic novel by French writer Fabian Nury, Iannucci’s script is loaded with acerbic, politically incorrect conversation, which is delivered by some of the finest and funniest character actors from both sides of the pond.
10.30Silver 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.
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall. UK 2017. 71 mins.
Janet (Scott Thomas) has just been appointed to a key ministerial position in the shadow cabinet – the crowning achievement of her political career. She and her husband Bill (Spall) plan to celebrate this with a few close friends. As the guests arrive at their home in London, the party takes an unexpected turn when Bill suddenly makes some explosive revelations that take everyone present by surprise. What follows is a hilarious comedy of tragic proportions in which love, friendships and political convictions are soon called into question. From acclaimed British filmmaker Sally Potter, The Party is a smart, fast-paced film full of razor-sharp one-liners that perfectly suits these turbulent times.
Can’t get a date? Make one! Rejected by their peers and desperate to be liked, two misfit teens design their ideal woman on a computer – and then accidentally bring her to life.
14.45We ♥ John Hughes: Brain, athlete, basket case, princess or criminal - revisit your misspent youth in 2017 with our We ♥ John Hughes season
Vintage Sundays: Classic films back on the big screen where they belong.
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.
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck USA 1986 103 mins
Ferris is a boy who gets anything he wants, screws over anyone who gets in his way, and gets patted on the back for doing so. Gathering his best friend (Ruck) and his best girlfriend (Sara), he skips school for a day out in Chicago.
14.45We ♥ John Hughes: Brain, athlete, basket case, princess or criminal - revisit your misspent youth in 2017 with our We ♥ John Hughes season
Vintage Sundays: Classic films back on the big screen where they belong.
Director: John McTiernan.
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura. USA 1987. 108 mins.
Take everything you could want from an ’80s action movie – guns, muscles, sweat, fire, mud, choppers, one-liners – and drop in a highly intelligent extra-terrestrial warrior and you’ve got John McTiernan’s timeless Predator. Holding up superbly in its 30th year, this multi-faceted Rambo-esque action thriller sees an in-his-pomp Arnold Schwarzenegger lead a team of commandos through a remote jungle to rescue potential survivors of a downed helicopter. They soon discover their superiors lied about the true nature of their mission, but this turns out to be the least of their problems: a shape-shifting otherworldly killer is stalking them, and begins to pick them off one by one. By the end, it’s just Arnie and the alien – and the alien’s picked the wrong man to hunt.
Director: Paul King.
Starring: Ben Wishaw, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi. UK/France 2017. TBC mins.
The wholehearted, accident-prone bear from deepest, darkest Peru returns with a second helping of his endearing brand of good-natured mischief. Happily settled in Windsor Gardens, Paddington takes on a variety of odd jobs to raise enough money to buy a very special book for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday. But when the precious book is stolen, Paddington and the Browns have to track down the culprit. Ben Wishaw again voices the lovable if hapless furry character, while Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins reprise their roles as his surrogate parents, Mr and Mrs Brown. Director/co-writer Paul King returns to ensure consistent appeal, and even adds some new characters to the fun, including Hugh Grant as a vain, fading actor and Brendan Gleeson’s fearsome safecracker.
Director: Paul King.
Starring: Ben Wishaw, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi. UK/France 2017. TBC mins.
The wholehearted, accident-prone bear from deepest, darkest Peru returns with a second helping of his endearing brand of good-natured mischief. Happily settled in Windsor Gardens, Paddington takes on a variety of odd jobs to raise enough money to buy a very special book for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday. But when the precious book is stolen, Paddington and the Browns have to track down the culprit. Ben Wishaw again voices the lovable if hapless furry character, while Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins reprise their roles as his surrogate parents, Mr and Mrs Brown. Director/co-writer Paul King returns to ensure consistent appeal, and even adds some new characters to the fun, including Hugh Grant as a vain, fading actor and Brendan Gleeson’s fearsome safecracker.
Baptista struggles to marry off his tempestuous daughter Katharina, a shrew who denies that any man could possibly be her match. However when she meets Petruchio, who is as ill-tempered as she, the two forces of nature ignite an unexpected and explosive encounter.
Acclaimed choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot brings out the wit, fast-paced athleticism and vibrancy from the Bolshoi Ballet dancers in Shakespeare’s rowdy comedy. Principals Ekaterina Krysanova and Vladislav Lantratov clash, challenge and eventually give themselves to one another in a wonderfully entertaining production that can only be seen at the Bolshoi!
Director: Paul King.
Starring: Ben Wishaw, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi. UK/France 2017. TBC mins.
The wholehearted, accident-prone bear from deepest, darkest Peru returns with a second helping of his endearing brand of good-natured mischief. Happily settled in Windsor Gardens, Paddington takes on a variety of odd jobs to raise enough money to buy a very special book for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday. But when the precious book is stolen, Paddington and the Browns have to track down the culprit. Ben Wishaw again voices the lovable if hapless furry character, while Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins reprise their roles as his surrogate parents, Mr and Mrs Brown. Director/co-writer Paul King returns to ensure consistent appeal, and even adds some new characters to the fun, including Hugh Grant as a vain, fading actor and Brendan Gleeson’s fearsome safecracker.
Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger.
Starring: Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring.
UK 1948. 135 mins.
The ultimate ballet film returns to the big screen digitally restored, having been championed by Martin Scorsese, for whom it was a great inspiration after he saw it as a child. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s sinister fairy tale, THE RED SHOES fuses glamour, back stage detail and stunning dance sequences into an audacious, intoxicating melodrama about the competing claims of life and art. Introducing the young Scottish ballerina Moira Shearer whose flaming red hair becomes a dominant visual motif, THE RED SHOES survived damning reviews and producer betrayal to take its place as a milestone in film history. Possibly Technicolor’s finest hour.
Director: Jim Henson
Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud. USA 1986. 101 mins
Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah – a teenager with an active imagination – summons the Goblins from her favourite book, Labyrinth, to take her baby step-brother away.
When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into the world of the fairy tale to rescue him, in hope that their loyalty isn't just another illusion in a place where nothing is as it seems!
Combining music, adventure, comedy and fantasy, this beloved family film boasts a cast of incredible creatures created by the Jim Henson Creature Shop, and stars the late, great David Bowie, who performs five original songs in the role of the Goblin King.
Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical is staged for the first time at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas. New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (The Comedy of Errors). Winner of Academy, Tony, Grammy and Olivier awards, Sondheim’s previous work includes A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George.
Take a seat at the strangest dinner party of your life. The servants have absconded; the ragout is all over the floor; there’s a bear in the garden; your fellow guests are rapidly descending into savagery; and most mysteriously of all, no one seems able to leave. British composer Thomas Adès (The Tempest) conducts the American premiere of his latest opera. Co-commissioned by the Met and sung in English, this black comedy, with shades of JG Ballard/Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise, is based on the screenplay of Luis Buñuel’s 1962 surrealist film. The cast is filled with established British names including Sally Matthews, Sophie Bevan, Alice Coote, Christine Rice, Ieystn Davies and John Tomlinson. “Inventive and audacious… a major event” (New York Times).
Director: Jean Cocteau.
Starring: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély.
France 1946. 95 mins. French with English subtitles.
Despite the stringent conditions of its making in post-liberation France, Cocteau’s exquisite version of the 18th-century fairy tale remains one of the greatest films of the fantasy genre. Beauty gives herself to the Beast who has held her father to ransom. Through love, and to her slight disappointment, he turns into a handsome prince. Romantic, erotic, hallucinatory and almost tragic, this is an intelligent, grown-up retelling of a ‘children’s’ tale.
Academy Award® nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock, The Imitation Game) takes on the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy.
Now seen by over 750,000 people worldwide, the original 2015 NT Live broadcast returns to cinemas.
As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralysed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state. Directed by Lyndsey Turner (Posh, Chimerica) and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.
Director: Isao Takahata.
Japan 2013. 137 mins.
Please check in cinema whether the subtitled or English-language version is showing.
This timeless masterpiece from the legendary Studio Ghibli is based on a tenth–century Japanese fable. A peasant discovers a miniature girl growing inside a bamboo shoot and takes her home.
She quickly grows to become the most beautiful young woman in the land, and is wooed by a series of suitors, including the Emperor himself. But it soon emerges that she is in fact exiled from the Moon, to which she is bound one day to return.
This haunting story is brought to the screen by Ghibli co-founder and genius animator Isao Takahata (GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES), and is undoubtedly one of the studio’s finest works. Exquisitely drawn in a style that recalls washed-out Japanese watercolours, the story is spellbinding and melancholic – an instant classic.
13.00The Enchanted Screen: Picturehouse presents a season of folk and fairytale films
Subtitled: This show is in the original language and will have English subtitles
Widely considered Britain’s most popular artist, David Hockney is a global sensation with exhibitions in London, New York, Paris and beyond, attracting millions of visitors worldwide.
Now entering his 9th decade, Hockney shows absolutely no evidence of slowing down or losing his trademark boldness.
Featuring intimate and in-depth interviews with Hockney, this revealing film focuses on two blockbuster exhibitions held in 2012 and 2016 at the Royal Academy of Art in London.
Olivier award-winner Eve Best (A Moon for the Misbegotten and Hedda Gabler) and BAFTA-nominated actress Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax) star in this new classically staged production of Oscar Wilde’s comedy directed by Dominic Dromgoole, former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe. The first play from the Classic Spring Theatre Company’s Oscar Wilde Season, A Woman of No Importance will be broadcast live to cinemas from the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End.
An earnest young American woman, a louche English lord, and an innocent young chap join a house party of fin de siècle fools and grotesques. Nearby a woman lives, cradling a long-buried secret. First performed in 1893, Oscar Wilde’s marriage of glittering wit and Ibsenite drama satirised the socially conservative world of the Victorian upper-class, creating a vivid new theatrical voice which still resonates today.
‘One can survive everything nowadays, except death, and live down anything except a good reputation.’ - Oscar Wilde
Widely considered Britain’s most popular artist, David Hockney is a global sensation with exhibitions in London, New York, Paris and beyond, attracting millions of visitors worldwide.
Now entering his 9th decade, Hockney shows absolutely no evidence of slowing down or losing his trademark boldness.
Featuring intimate and in-depth interviews with Hockney, this revealing film focuses on two blockbuster exhibitions held in 2012 and 2016 at the Royal Academy of Art in London.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker.
Voices: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman, Terence Howard.
USA 2009. 97 mins.
Loosely based on E. D. Baker’s story The Frog Princess, Disney’s 49th animated feature harked back to the studio’s traditional hand-drawn animation and the golden age of its fairy tales, but starred an African-American princess for the first time. This joyous Broadway-style musical, set in the French Quarter of 1920s New Orleans and the bayous of Louisiana, rekindled cinemagoers’ love affair with classic Disney animation. But heroine Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) is a princess with a difference: a spirited and independent girl not looking to be rescued by any princes. Instead, she sets about working hard to make her dream of opening her own restaurant a reality.
As the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Eve, Marie’s wooden nutcracker doll comes to life and transforms into a prince! Soon joined by her other toys that have also come to life, Marie and her prince embark on a dreamy unforgettable adventure.
A holiday tradition for the whole family, The Nutcracker sweeps the Bolshoi stage for two hours of enchantment and magic. Along with Tchaikovsky’s cherished score and and some of the Bolshoi’s greatest artists, The Nutcracker remains a treasure not to be missed!
Director: Neil Jordan.
Starring: Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Sarah Patterson, Brian Glover.
UK 1984. 95 mins.
Adapted from short stories drawn from Angela Carter’s revisionist fairytale collection The Bloody Chamber, director Neil Jordan’s second feature was one of the most surprising and startling British films of the early eighties. Centred on the troubled sexual awakening of a young girl, Rosaleen, the film’s modern-day frame opens up to reveal a dark dream world – a fairytale village nestled in the depths of a primeval forest where young men, both desired and feared, turn into werewolves on the prowl. At once sensual and seductive, genuinely eerie, and with eruptions of alarming violence, this exquisitely designed film is destined to linger in the memory.
Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical is staged for the first time at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas. New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (The Comedy of Errors). Winner of Academy, Tony, Grammy and Olivier awards, Sondheim’s previous work includes A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George.
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.
Rory Kinnear (The Threepenny Opera, Penny Dreadful, Othello) is Marx and Oliver Chris (Twelfth Night, Green Wing) is Engels, in this new comedy written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London, the production is directed by Nicholas Hytner and reunites the creative team behind Broadway and West End hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors.
1850, and Europe’s most feared terrorist is hiding in Dean Street, Soho. Broke, restless and horny, the thirty-two-year-old revolutionary is a frothing combination of intellectual brilliance, invective, satiric wit, and child-like emotional illiteracy. Creditors, spies, rival revolutionary factions and prospective seducers of his beautiful wife all circle like vultures. His writing blocked, his marriage dying, his friend Engels in despair at his wasted genius, his only hope is a job on the railway. But there’s still no one in the capital who can show you a better night on the piss than Karl Heinrich Marx.
Director: Andrew Adamsons, Vicky Jenson.
Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz.
USA 2001. 90 mins.
Sixteen years after SHREK quite literally ripped up the fairy book, this sharply scripted, irreverent comedy remains as boisterously hilarious as ever. Finding his swamp overrun by hordes of annoyingly jovial fairytale characters, grumpy green ogre Shrek (Myers) strikes a deal with the wicked Lord Farquaad. If he will undertake a perilous mission to rescue the princess of Farquaad’s dreams from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, he can have his swamp back. Accompanied by a donkey who never stops talking (Murphy) he sets out on his quest…
10.30The Enchanted Screen: Picturehouse presents a season of folk and fairytale films
Kids' Club: Exclusively for children and their parents or carers. Unaccompanied adults are not admitted.
Supervising Director: David Hand.
Voices: Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne, Pinto Colvig.
USA 1937. 83 mins.
Eighty years after release, Walt Disney’s first ground-breaking animated cartoon feature continues to captivate audiences young and old with its unique blend of fairy tale, fantasy, laughter, thrills and tears. Boldly reworking the Brothers Grimm tale, this hand-crafted Technicolor masterpiece was the gorgeous result of the years of love bestowed upon it by perfectionist Disney and his dedicated studio team. By turns charming, creepy, cute and comical - and jam-packed with wonderful characters - this evergreen story of a beautiful princess, a wicked witch and those dauntless dwarfs took the world by storm, and remains a timeless treat for all the family.
Director: Tim Burton.
Starring: . Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Vincent Price, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall. USA 1990. 105 mins.
In a creepy abandoned castle, an Avon Lady discovers Edward (Depp), the unfinished creation of kindly Franken-scientist (Price), in solitary mourning for his inventor/father whose untimely death has left him with scissors in the place of hands. Taking pity on this shy and innocent child-man, she adopts him into her suburban home. Naïve, artistic, and inescapably nonconformist, Edward learns that social and physical difference can inspire celebrity and mistrust in equal measure. Comedic and tragic in turns, this poignant celebration of a visionary spirit struggling to survive in an unforgiving world remains Burton’s most original and beguiling contemporary fairy story.
Director: Matteo Garrone.
Starring: Salma Hayek, John C. Reilly, Toby Jones, Vincent Cassel.
Italy/France/UK 2015. 134 mins.
Rooted in Italian folktales, director Matteo Garrone’s (Reality, Gomorrah) first English-language film is a gloriously Gothic story of obsession. The Queen of Longtrellis (Hayek) is determined to have a child whatever the cost. To achieve her goal, she is told she must eat the heart of a sea serpent, an item her husband (Reilly) is sent off into the deep to collect. Meanwhile, the King of Highhills (Jones) is besotted with his pet flea, while the lusty King of Strongcliff (Cassel) pursues two elusive sisters. Visually the film is stunning, but for every moment of beauty there is a glimpse of the grotesque: Tale Of Tales’ moments of horror are all the more effective for their scarcity. Nominated for the Palme D’Or and the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes 2015, this is a daring, darkly witty film that stimulates the senses.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
Director: Kevin Lima.
Starring: Amy Adams, James Marsden, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Dempsey.
USA 2007. 107 mins.
Classic Disney animation meets contemporary urban chaos when a princess is banished from her magical animated homeland to modern-day New York. Princess Giselle (Adams) lives in the blissful cartoon world of Andalasia, where magical beings frolic freely and musical interludes punctuate every interaction. She is engaged to the handsome Prince Edward (Marsden) but her fate takes a turn for the worse when the villainous Queen Narissa (Sarandon) banishes her to the unforgiving metropolis of New York. As the cruelty of the big city begins to wear down the frightened and once carefree princess, she soon finds herself falling for a friendly but flawed divorce lawyer (Dempsey) whose kind compassion has helped her to survive in this strange and dangerous new world.
10.30The Enchanted Screen: Picturehouse presents a season of folk and fairytale films
Kids' Club: Exclusively for children and their parents or carers. Unaccompanied adults are not admitted.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
Director: Francesco Stefani.
Starring: Christel Bodenstein, Charles Hans Vogt, Eckart Dux, Richard Krüger.
East Germany 1957. 71 mins. English narrated version.
A proud and beautiful princess is punished for her arrogance when a bewitched suitor (in the form of a bear) steals her away to an enchanted garden. There, through a series of gripping trials, she learns that kindness, humility and bravery are the routes to friendship, love and happiness. Inspired by stories by the Brothers Grimm, this East German fairy tale enchanted a generation when broadcast as a three-part black-and-white miniseries under the BBC’s ‘Tales from Europe’ banner in the 1960s. Today’s viewers are in for an even greater treat; prepare to be bowled over by the original feature’s joyous riot of colour.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
Director: Jakob Schuh & Max Lang | Johannes Weiland & Uwe Heidschotter.
Voices: Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden. UK 2009 and 2011. 55 mins.
Join us for an enchanting double-bill of these all-star adaptations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best-selling picture books. The magical tale of a plucky mouse in search of a nut is followed by the adventure of the Gruffalo's Child, who bravely tiptoes out into the snow in search of the fabled ‘big bad mouse.’
12.40The Enchanted Screen: Picturehouse presents a season of folk and fairytale films
Toddler Time: Exclusively for preschool children and their parents or carers.
Director: Ingmar Bergman.
Starring: Josef Köstlinger, Irma Urrila, Håkan Hagegård, Elisabeth Erikson.
Sweden 1975. 135 mins. Swedish with English subtitles.
A sparkling new restoration of Ingmar Bergman’s Oscar-nominated screen adaptation of Mozart’s much-loved opera, in which the Queen of the Night tasks our hero Tamino with rescuing her beautiful daughter from a wicked sorcerer. THE MAGIC FLUTE synthesises Bergman’s expertise as one of the finest European film directors of his generation and as an experienced and highly acclaimed stage director. Framing his film as a theatre show, and eschewing movie stars in favour of new and established stage opera performers, he interfuses top-notch vocal performances with a stunning visual experience. Long absent from British cinema screens, our advance previews of this glorious reissue promise an unmissable festive treat.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
10.30Silver 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.
Director: Jakob Schuh & Max Lang | Johannes Weiland & Uwe Heidschotter.
Voices: Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden. UK 2009 and 2011. 55 mins.
Join us for an enchanting double-bill of these all-star adaptations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best-selling picture books. The magical tale of a plucky mouse in search of a nut is followed by the adventure of the Gruffalo's Child, who bravely tiptoes out into the snow in search of the fabled ‘big bad mouse.’
The Enchanted Screen: Picturehouse presents a season of folk and fairytale films
Toddler Time: Exclusively for preschool children and their parents or carers.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
Director: Jakob Schuh & Max Lang | Johannes Weiland & Uwe Heidschotter.
Voices: Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden. UK 2009 and 2011. 55 mins.
Join us for an enchanting double-bill of these all-star adaptations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best-selling picture books. The magical tale of a plucky mouse in search of a nut is followed by the adventure of the Gruffalo's Child, who bravely tiptoes out into the snow in search of the fabled ‘big bad mouse.’
The Enchanted Screen: Picturehouse presents a season of folk and fairytale films
Toddler Time: Exclusively for preschool children and their parents or carers.
Director: Rian Johnson. Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac. USA 2017. TBC mins.
How do you follow The Force Awakens – a film that raked in two billion dollars at the box office and made the world fall in love with Star Wars all over again? That’s the mammoth task in the charge of The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper), who has lined up an epic adventure that challenges heroes old and new and delves deep into the mythology of the Force. Plot details are scarce, but the late Carrie Fisher plays a major role, and Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro join the cast. The film’s beating heart, however, is the relationship between Rey and Luke. Rey finally comes face to face with the Jedi master on the island of Ahch-To, but he’s not the man she was expecting to find.
Rory Kinnear (The Threepenny Opera, Penny Dreadful, Othello) is Marx and Oliver Chris (Twelfth Night, Green Wing) is Engels, in this new comedy written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London, the production is directed by Nicholas Hytner and reunites the creative team behind Broadway and West End hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors.
1850, and Europe’s most feared terrorist is hiding in Dean Street, Soho. Broke, restless and horny, the thirty-two-year-old revolutionary is a frothing combination of intellectual brilliance, invective, satiric wit, and child-like emotional illiteracy. Creditors, spies, rival revolutionary factions and prospective seducers of his beautiful wife all circle like vultures. His writing blocked, his marriage dying, his friend Engels in despair at his wasted genius, his only hope is a job on the railway. But there’s still no one in the capital who can show you a better night on the piss than Karl Heinrich Marx.
Celebrate the end of 2017 with the Berliner Philharmoniker’s glittering New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, broadcast live from Berlin and conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, with star guest Joyce DiDonato. The internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano will perform Richard Strauss’s lavishly beautiful orchestral songs with the concert programme also including works by Dvořák, Stravinsky, Bernstein and Shostakovich. The cinema broadcast features exclusive interviews and programme insights.
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.
In Verona, Romeo and Juliet fall madly in love while their respective families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are caught in a bitter rivalry ending in heart-wrenching tragedy…
Alexei Ratmansky, former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, stages the company’s premiere of his production with dramatic urgency and a fresh re-telling of Shakespeare’s beloved classic. His brilliant and detailed adaptation set to Prokofiev’s romantic and cinematic score, reignites the story of literature’s most celebrated star-crossed lovers like no other classical ballet choreographer today.
Puccini’s thrilling Tosca is a story of love, terror, the abuse of power, and the unquenchable longing for freedom. When an escaped political prisoner takes refuge in a church, an opera singer and a painter are drawn into a twisting plot that puts them at the mercy of the secret police and its network of torturers and spies. Rivalling the splendour of Franco Zeffirelli’s Napoleonic-era sets and costumes, Sir David McVicar’s ravishing new production offers a splendid backdrop for extraordinary singing. Kristine Opolais stars as the titular prima donna, alongside Vittorio Grigolo as her artist lover and Bryn Terfel as the villainous police chief – one of his signature roles. Andris Nelsons conducts.
EXHIBITION ON SCREEN is thrilled to present one of the most talked-about exhibitions of the year. Dedicated to the portrait work of Paul Cézanne, the exhibition opens in Paris before traveling to London and Washington.
One can’t appreciate 20th century art without understanding the significance and genius of Paul Cézanne. Featuring interviews with curators and experts from the National Portrait Gallery London, MoMA New York, National Gallery of Art Washington, and Musée d’Orsay Paris, and correspondence from the artist himself, the film takes audiences beyond the exhibition to the places Cézanne lived and worked and sheds light on an artist who is perhaps the least-known of all the impressionists – until now.
EXHIBITION ON SCREEN is thrilled to present one of the most talked-about exhibitions of the year. Dedicated to the portrait work of Paul Cézanne, the exhibition opens in Paris before traveling to London and Washington.
One can’t appreciate 20th century art without understanding the significance and genius of Paul Cézanne. Featuring interviews with curators and experts from the National Portrait Gallery London, MoMA New York, National Gallery of Art Washington, and Musée d’Orsay Paris, and correspondence from the artist himself, the film takes audiences beyond the exhibition to the places Cézanne lived and worked and sheds light on an artist who is perhaps the least-known of all the impressionists – until now.
As he arrives in Paris for the first time, the young and naive Armand is utterly captivated after meeting the ravishing and most desirable courtesan Marguerite Gautier. Their encounter gives birth to a passionate yet doomed love…
Alexandre Dumas fils’s novel comes to life on the Bolshoi stage, with prima Svetlana Zakharova as the ailing Marguerite seeking love and redemption from her life as a courtesan. The Bolshoi brings choreographer John Neumeier’s work of rare beauty and tragic depth to new emotional heights, accompanied by Chopin’s romantic piano score.
'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.
The poor country boy Nemorino is in love with Adina, a confident landowner, but she is way out of his league – financially and otherwise. But when he buys a “love potion” from a travelling quack, the results are rather more than he bargained for. Charmingly staged by Bartlett Sher, Donizetti’s beloved masterpiece combines deft comic timing with touching emotional depth. The production stars Matthew Polenzani, who enthralled Met audiences as Nemorino in 2013 with his moving “Una furtiva lagrima.” Rising South African soprano Pretty Yende is the spirited Adina, Davide Luciano makes his Met debut as the arrogant soldier Belcore, and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo is the potion-peddling Doctor Dulcamara. Domingo Hindoyan conducts.
'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".
Tennessee Williams’ twentieth century masterpiece Cat on a Hot Tin Roof played a strictly limited season in London’s West End in 2017. Following his smash hit production of A Streetcar Named Desire, Benedict Andrews’ ‘thrilling revival’ (New York Times) starred Sienna Miller alongside, Jack O’Connell and Colm Meaney.
On a steamy night in Mississippi, a Southern family gather at their cotton plantation to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. The scorching heat is almost as oppressive as the lies they tell. Brick and Maggie dance round the secrets and sexual tensions that threaten to destroy their marriage. With the future of the family at stake, which version of the truth is real – and which will win out?
Captured live on stage, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will screen in cinemas around the world from 22 February 2018.
The world’s most popular opera returns with an exciting young cast in Franco Zeffirelli’s legendary production. Poverty-stricken poet Rodolfo and his artist friends eke out a precarious existence in bohemian Paris, alternately practising their art, laughing, quarrelling, dodging the landlord, and living it up in their local cafe. When Rodolfo meets the delicate Mimì, the pair instantly fall in love. But Mimì is ill, Rodolfo is jealous, and their romance is doomed from the start. Opera superstars Sonya Yoncheva and Michael Fabiano play the heart-breaking couple, singing two sublime Puccini favourites – “Sì, mi chiamano Mimì” and “Che gelida manina.” Zeffirelli’s stupendous onstage recreations of 19th-century Paris are sure to take your breath away.
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.
In the era of the French Revolution, Jeanne and her brother Jérôme leave Marseille for Paris in support of the revolutionary effort that is taking over the capital. While fighting for freedom, they both encounter love along the way…
Very few ballets can properly depict the Bolshoi’s overflowing energy and fiery passion as can Alexei Ratmansky’s captivating revival of Vasily Vainonen’s The Flames of Paris. With powerful virtuosity and some of the most stunning pas de deux, the Bolshoi Ballet displays an exuberance almost too enormous for the Moscow stage.
Tennessee Williams’ twentieth century masterpiece Cat on a Hot Tin Roof played a strictly limited season in London’s West End in 2017. Following his smash hit production of A Streetcar Named Desire, Benedict Andrews’ ‘thrilling revival’ (New York Times) starred Sienna Miller alongside, Jack O’Connell and Colm Meaney.
On a steamy night in Mississippi, a Southern family gather at their cotton plantation to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. The scorching heat is almost as oppressive as the lies they tell. Brick and Maggie dance round the secrets and sexual tensions that threaten to destroy their marriage. With the future of the family at stake, which version of the truth is real – and which will win out?
Captured live on stage, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will screen in cinemas around the world from 22 February 2018.
'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.
Against the backdrop of the Hanging Gardens, Semiramide, Queen of Babylon, defies bad omens and supernatural threats in her quest to find a worthy successor to her late husband. But she harbours more than one dark secret, and whoever gains the throne may find that he has lost more than he has won. Based on a story by Voltaire, this rarely performed tragic opera reveals The Barber of Seville composer Giaochino Rossini in a whole new light. The title role – composed for Rossini’s wife, Isabella Colbran – features some of the most demanding vocal music he ever wrote. Angela Meade takes on the challenging vocal fireworks in this revival of a production last seen at the Met 25 years ago.
A new production of Oscar Wilde’s social comedy, Lady Windermere’s Fan, directed by award-winning writer, actor and director Kathy Burke, will be broadcast live to cinemas from the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End. This is the second play from the Oscar Wilde Season, a year-long celebration of the brilliant Victorian playwright being staged by Classic Spring, a new theatre company led by Dominic Dromgoole, former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe.
The day of Lady Windermere’s birthday party, and all is perfectly in order. Until her friend Lord Darlington plants a seed of suspicion. Is her husband having an affair? And will the other woman really attend the party? First performed in 1892, Lady Windermere’s Fan explores the ambiguity of upper class morality and the fragile position of women in society in the late Victorian era in one of Wilde’s most popular and witty plays.
‘You gave me this fan today; it was your birthday present. If that woman crosses my threshold, I shall strike her across the face with it.’ - Oscar Wilde
Ben Whishaw (The Danish Girl, Skyfall, Hamlet) and Michelle Fairley (Fortitude, Game of Thrones) play Brutus and Cassius, David Calder (The Lost City of Z, The Hatton Garden Job) plays Caesar and David Morrissey (The Missing, Hangmen, The Walking Dead) is Mark Antony. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London.
Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the people pour out of their homes to celebrate. Alarmed by the autocrat’s popularity, the educated élite conspire to bring him down. After his assassination, civil war erupts on the streets of the capital.
Nicholas Hytner’s production will thrust the audience into the street party that greets Caesar’s return, the congress that witnesses his murder, the rally that assembles for his funeral and the chaos that explodes in its wake.
Perhaps more than any other artist, Van Gogh’s life has long captured the imagination of storytellers. Delving deep into his fascinating and sometimes deeply troubled world comes this definitive, award-winning documentary directed by David Bickerstaff.
Showcasing Van Gogh’s iconic works like never before and featuring exclusive interviews with the curatorial team at the Van Gogh Museum, this EXHIBITION ON SCREEN favourite from Season 2 makes a welcome return to the big screen.
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.
Goaded by their cynical friend Don Alfonso, soldiers Ferrando and Guglielmo decide to test their fiancées’ fidelity. Pretending to leave with their regiment, they return in disguise and pay court to each other’s lover. Will the young women succumb to the charms of these two handsome ‘foreigners’? A co-production with English National Opera, this clever vision of the battle of the sexes is set in a carnivalesque environment inspired by 1950s Coney Island. The cast features Amanda Majeski and Serena Malfi as the sisters put to the test, with Broadway star Kelli O’Hara as their feisty maid, Ben Bliss and Adam Plachetka as their fiancés, and Christopher Maltman as Don Alfonso. David Robertson conducts Mozart’s delightful score.
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’.
When Giselle learns that her beloved Albrecht is promised to another woman, she dies of a broken heart in his arms. While Albrecht grieves, she returns from the dead as a Wili, a vengeful spirit meant to make unfaithful men dance until death…
Prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova personifies this ultimate ballerina role in the classical repertoire, alongside the sensational Sergei Polunin as Albrecht, in this chilling, yet luminous ballet that continues to captivate audiences for over 150 years at the Bolshoi.
Ben Whishaw (The Danish Girl, Skyfall, Hamlet) and Michelle Fairley (Fortitude, Game of Thrones) play Brutus and Cassius, David Calder (The Lost City of Z, The Hatton Garden Job) plays Caesar and David Morrissey (The Missing, Hangmen, The Walking Dead) is Mark Antony. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London.
Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the people pour out of their homes to celebrate. Alarmed by the autocrat’s popularity, the educated élite conspire to bring him down. After his assassination, civil war erupts on the streets of the capital.
Nicholas Hytner’s production will thrust the audience into the street party that greets Caesar’s return, the congress that witnesses his murder, the rally that assembles for his funeral and the chaos that explodes in its wake.
Returning home from battle, the victorious Macbeth meets three witches on the heath. Driven by their disturbing prophecies, he sets out on the path to murder.
This contemporary production of Shakespeare’s darkest psychological thriller marks both Christopher Eccleston’s RSC debut and the return of Niamh Cusack to the Company.
James Levine and Plácido Domingo add yet another chapter to their legendary Met collaboration with this rarely performed Verdi gem, a heart-wrenching tragedy based on Friedrich Schiller’s novel Intrigue and Love. The young maiden Luisa loves Rodolfo, unaware that he is actually the son of the local lord. An unscrupulous rival for her affections tells her father of Rodolfo’s true identity, turning the old man against him. Jealousy, suspicion, and betrayal tear the lovers apart, but Luisa remains loyal to her father to the last. In the first Met performances of the opera in more than ten years, Sonya Yoncheva sings the title role opposite Piotr Beczała as Rodolfo, with Domingo as Luisa’s stern-yet-loving father.
A fairy godmother, a glass slipper, an opulent ball, an enchanted forest, and a Prince Charming who loves her – did all that really happen, or was it just a dream? Long-suffering Cendrillon lives a life of drudgery with her good-natured father and his imperious wife, until fate, romance, and a touch of fairy magic intervene. For the first time ever, Massenet’s sumptuous version of the Cinderella story comes to the Met in this imaginative storybook production directed by Laurent Pelly. Superstar Joyce DiDonato sings the title role, alongside British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote in the trouser role of Prince Charming, Kathleen Kim as the Fairy Godmother, and Stephanie Blythe as the archetypal wicked stepmother.
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.
“My head is bursting – I want to paint it all.” Award-winning director Phil Grabsky presents a fresh new look at arguably the world’s favourite artist, Claude Monet, using the painter’s own words.
Based on letters and other private writings, I, Claude Monet provides new insight into the man who not only painted the picture that gave birth to Impressionism, but who was perhaps the most influential and successful painter of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In spite of this, and perhaps because of it, Monet’s life is a gripping tale of a man who, behind his sun-dazzled canvases, suffered from bouts of depression, loneliness and even suicidal thoughts. Then, as his art developed and his love of nature led to the glories of his garden at Giverny, his letters reveal his humour, insight and love of life.
Swanhilda notices her fiancee Franz is infatuated with the beautiful Coppélia who sits reading on her balcony each day. Nearly breaking up the two sweethearts, Coppelia is not what she seems and Swanhilda decides to teach Franz a lesson…
The Bolshoi’s unique version of Coppélia exhibits a fascinating reconstruction of the original 19th century choreography of this ebullient comedy involving a feisty heroine, a boyish fiancee with a wandering eye, and an old dollmaker. The company’s stunning corps de ballet shines in the divertissements and famous “dance of the hours,” and its principals abound in youthful energy and irresistible humor in this effervescent production.
'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.
On 14 November 1987, a promising conductor called Simon Rattle made his Berliner Philharmoniker debut with Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony. Looking back, Rattle says, “I felt that I was finding my voice on that day.” Mahler’s multifaceted work is again on the programme when Sir Simon appears for the last time as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Sir Simon Rattle’s Farewell Concert will be broadcast live to cinemas on 20 June 2018, with exclusive interviews and programme insights featured as part of this historic event.
What if your first true love was someone you’d been told you must hate?
Set in a world very like our own, this Romeo & Juliet is about a generation of young people born into violence and ripped apart by the bitter divisions of their parents.
The most famous story of love at first sight explodes with intense passion and an irresistible desire for change, but leads all too quickly to heartbreaking consequences.
Down on his luck in the suburbs, John Falstaff plans to hustle his way to a comfortable retirement by seducing the wives of two wealthy men.
Unknown to him, it’s the women of Windsor who really pull the strings, orchestrating Falstaff’s comeuppance amidst a theatrical smorgasbord of petty rivalries, jealousies and over-inflated egos.
For a fat Englishman, a Welshman and a Frenchman, the only way is Windsor…
