When Leontes, Sicilian king, becomes convinced his pregnant wife Hermione is conducting an affair with his closest friend Polixenes, King of Bohemia, he is so enraged he banishes her newborn child, while Hermione apparently dies of grief. Sixteen years later, the child, Perdita, having been raised in Bohemia by shepherds, is in love with Florizel, son of Polixenes, who forbids their marriage. The lovers travel to Leontes’ court seeking happiness, which they find – in ways nobody expected. Blanche McIntyre directs a new version of Shakespeare’s great play of the irrational and inexplicable. Set in a world of monsters, gods and natural disasters, travel from the stifling atmosphere of the Sicilian court to the unbuttoned joy of a Bohemian festival.

REVIEWS:

A show for the die-hard Shakespeare fans, certainly, but also an excellent introduction to those less familiar with his work. It's a theatrical experience only the Globe could offer, and one that should be grabbed with both hands[.]

-- Broadway World

Director Sean Holmes has pulled off a coup: the first director to use both of the Globe’s theatres in a single evening. It’s an obvious response to The Winter’s Tale’s two contrasting kingdoms, and – in practical terms – it works brilliantly. The claustrophobic interiors of Sicilia in the Wanamaker Playhouse (pitch perfect from designer Grace Smart) give way to the breezy openness (those “winds of March” right on cue) of the Globe itself, and Bohemia’s riotous sheep-shearing celebrations.

-- The Arts Desk

Originally presented as part of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the poet’s death, Dante’s epic journey through the afterlife in The Divine Comedy, is realized in a major artistic collaboration between trailblazing forces of the contemporary arts scene. Wayne McGregor’s ground breaking choreography comes together with a virtuosic new score by one of the most influential musicians of the 21st century, composer conductor Thomas Adès, and designs by the renowned artist Tacita Dean, celebrated for her pioneering and poetic work across film and other mediums. Together they illuminate the extraordinary vision of Dante in this three-part work for the full Company. This world premiere recording also marks the final production starring acclaimed dancer Edward Watson as Royal Ballet Principal, after 27 years with the Company.

Witness The Wedding of the Year, filmed at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand. Handel’s Baroque masterpiece Semele is an exciting mix of opera and oratorio. Unlike his much more famous Messiah, this work scandalized audiences when first performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London in 1774. Drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the sensual story explores a love triangle between Jupiter, King of the Gods, his wife, the goddess Juno, and his lover, the mortal princess Semele. “A remarkable production... a brilliant theatrical phenomenon, surprising, amusing and utterly engrossing” (Opera Magazine)

In a deserted city, a young boy stumbles into a theatre. He wanders through the auditorium, where rows of velvet chairs, draping curtains and chandeliers seem to lie in lonely wait for audiences to return. The theatre may be empty, but the show will go on...

Starring characters from the most popular festive ballets, the worlds of the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy collide when the theatre bursts into life. In this spectacular, feature-length film, you’ll be treated to an extraordinary show filled with acrobats, snowflakes, clowns, princes and – of course – beautiful ballerinas.

The Secret Theatre features the choreography of Scottish Ballet founder Peter Darrell and CEO/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson, co-directed for the screen by Jess & Morgs. Featuring set and costumes designed by Lez Brotherston, music by Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky recorded live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra - including a new additional composition by Frank Moon, and of course spectacular performances from the full Scottish Ballet Company.

Rigoletto is the sharp-tongued jester to the serial womaniser, the Duke of Matua. But when the Duke turns his seductive ways towards Rigoletto's daughter, Gilda, the jester learns that he is powerless to protect her. What follows is an epic tale of deceit, revenge and, above all, love.

Director Oliver Mears makes his Royal Opera debut with his 'thrilling new production’ (The Times), which frames Verdi’s masterpiece as a modern morality play, pitting power against innocence in a decadent world of corruption and social decay. Antonio Pappano conducts an outstanding cast that includes an 'utterly compelling' Carlos Álvarez in the title role, Lisette Oropesa as 'a matchless Gilda' (The Guardian) and tenor Liparit Avetisyan as the Duke of Mantua.

This special release brings together two compelling works showing the dramatic range of Lauren Cuthbertson, and The Royal Ballet. Internationally acclaimed choreographer Cathy Marston, previously Associate Artist of The Royal Opera House and Director of Bern Ballett, created The Cellist for The Royal Ballet in 2020. The inspiration for her first work for the Royal Opera House Main Stage is the momentous life and career of cellist Jacqueline du Pré – from her discovery of the cello and her celebrity as one of its most extraordinary players, to her pain, frustration and struggle with multiple sclerosis. Composer Philip Feeney incorporates some of the most moving and powerful music for cello by Elgar, Beethoven, Fauré, Mendelssohn, Piatti, Rachmaninoff and Schubert into an exquisite score that is itself an homage to the cello. In The Two Pigeons, Lauren Cuthbertson and Vadim Muntagirov lead a charismatic cast in Ashton’s poignant and heart-warming reflection on love, based on an old French folk tale and first performed on Valentine’s Day 1961. Created by the Company’s Founder Choreographer, this recording captures The Royal Ballet’s famous skill and distinctive style as Barry Wordsworth conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Messager’s rapturous score.

Escape with us to the glamour and grace of Paris, 1960. Step into the studio, watch the dancers warm up and hear the piano start to play – a new show is taking shape that will be fit for the gods. One of the first choreographers to bring the ‘American style’ to Europe, the legendary Gene Kelly was invited to create an original work for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1960.

This special Blu-ray brings together two compelling works showing the dramatic range of Lauren Cuthbertson, and The Royal Ballet. Internationally acclaimed choreographer Cathy Marston, previously Associate Artist of The Royal Opera House and Director of Bern Ballett, created The Cellist for The Royal Ballet in 2020. The inspiration for her first work for the Royal Opera House Main Stage is the momentous life and career of cellist Jacqueline du Pr� - from her discovery of the cello and her celebrity as one of it's most extraordinary players, to her pain, frustration and struggle with multiple sclerosis. Composer Philip Feeney incorporates some of the most moving and powerful music for cello by Elgar, Beethoven, Faur�, Mendelssohn, Piatti, Rachmaninoff and Schubert into an exquisite score that is itself an homage to the cello. In The Two Pigeons, Lauren Cuthbertson and Vadim Muntagirov lead a charismatic cast in Ashton's poignant and heart-warming reflection on love, based on an old French folk tale and first performed on Valentine's Day 1961. Created by the Company's Founder Choreographer, this recording captures The Royal Ballet's famous skill and distinctive style as Barry Wordsworth conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Messager's rapturous score.

Escape with us to the glamour and grace of Paris, 1960. Step into the studio, watch the dancers warm up and hear the piano start to play – a new show is taking shape that will be fit for the gods. One of the first choreographers to bring the ‘American style’ to Europe, the legendary Gene Kelly was invited to create an original work for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1960. Dancing the lead role of Aphrodite was the ‘Étoile’ of Paris, Claude Bessy, who had worked with Kelly in Hollywood and encouraged him across the Atlantic. His jazzy, joyful Pas de Dieux was highly acclaimed at the time as ‘a breath of fresh air’ and has now been given a new set of wings for its UK premiere. In collaboration with Kelly’s widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, Scottish Ballet’s CEO/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson and designer Lez Brotherston (The Snow Queen, The Secret Theatre) have lovingly revived the original ballet and added a delightful new twist. You’ll be transported into the world where jazz meets ballet, and the stars align. Gene Kelly’s pioneering choreography and much-loved style influenced a generation of dance-makers, and we honor his creative legacy with this playful new production. Set to Gershwin’s effortlessly cool Concerto in F, with extracts from Chopin, recorded by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. We promise, Starstruck is exactly the evening of entertainment you’ve been longing for.

Double-meanings, disguises and dirty laundry abound as Sir John Falstaff sets about improving his financial situation by wooing Mistress Page and Mistress Ford. But the ‘Merry Wives’ quickly cotton on to his tricks and decide to have a bit of fun of their own at Falstaff’s expenses. The Merry Wives of Windsor is the only comedy that Shakespeare set in his native land. Drawing influences from British 1930s fashion, music and dance, this production celebrates women, the power and beauty of nature, and with its witty mix of verbal and physical humor, rejoices in a tradition that reaches right down to the contemporary English sitcom.

Directed by Elle While (Hamlet, As You Like It), this production stars Olivier Award-nominated Bryony Hannah (Call the Midwife, The Children’s Hour) as Mistress Ford, Sarah Finigan (Suffragette, Upstart Crow, Globe on Tour) as Mistress Page, and Pearce Quigley (Detectorists, Hamlet, As You Like It) as Falstaff. The Windsor Locals appear courtesy of Soldiers’ Arts Academy, London Bubble and Clean Break. Spoken in Shakespeare’s English.

REVIEWS:

There's something magical about watching a Shakespeare play being performed at The Globe Theatre...The Merry Wives of Windsor is an intricate play with various subplots and a multitude of characters and in this production, director Elle While places a 1930s spin on things.

Padded out with a rotund stomach, rumpled and with a heavy northern accent, Quigley creates a memorable performance. When it is revealed that everyone has worked together to play a trick on Falstaff, Quigley's sad and defeated demeanour brings about audible sympathy from the audience. He gets the loudest laughs and the audience lap up every second of his performance.

Quigley is without a doubt the standout performer in this production, but he's well supported by Hedydd Dylan (as Welsh priest Sir Hugh Evans), Anita Reynolds as Mistress Quickly and Richard Katz as Dr Caius, with his heavy French accent manages to balance the fine line of comedy. The fairy dance is wonderfully choreographed by Sasha Milavic Davies and the score by Frank Moon is brilliantly played by the band who sit above the action on stage.

-- Broadway World

One of the finest dancers of his generation, Vadim Muntagirov has twice won the Best Male Dancer at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards as well as Dance Europe’s Outstanding Dancer Award and the prestigious Benois de la danse. Since joining The Royal Ballet in 2014, he has excelled in many of ballet's most celebrated lead roles, as well as proving his skills as a sensitive partner to some of The Royal Ballet's most revered stars. This special collection brings together four of his most show-stopping performances. In The Sleeping Beauty, Muntagirov’s elegant classicism shines as Prince Florimund, and in Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, his heartfelt characterization brings eloquent depth to the impassioned pas de deux between Manon and Des Grieux. Described as 'technically thrilling' (Guardian), Muntagirov's performance as Count Albrecht makes the quintessential Romantic ballet Giselle powerfully resonant today. In delightful contrast, his cheeky performance in Coppélia reveals a wonderful flair for comedy.

Award-winning director Claus Guth’s acclaimed production of Jenůfa is a striking representation of an oppressed society ‘infused with heart-warming humanity’ (Evening Standard). Two courageous women struggle for fulfillment against the backdrop of a claustrophobic rural community. With music inspired by the traditional folk melodies of his native Moravia, Janáček’s score movingly captures Jenůfa’s progression from hope to despair to eventual radiant happiness, while her stepmother, the Kostelnicka, is one of opera’s most complex maternal figures. Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási conducts Asmik Grigorian in her much-anticipated Royal Opera House debut in the title role, alongside Karita Mattila as the Kostelnicka and a star cast.

REVIEW:

The first wave of Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s great operas centered on tragic heroines: together with Káťa Kabanová and The Makropulos Case, which followed it, Jenůfa is a triumphant and insightful music drama, as Oliver Mears’ 2021 staging at London’s Royal Opera House shows. Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian plays the demanding title role sensitively and intelligently, the great Finnish soprano Karita Matilla is just as powerful as Kostelnicka, her stepmother, and conductor Henrik Nánási leads the orchestra and chorus in a gripping account of Janáček’s intense score. The hi-def video and audio are first-rate.

-- The Flip Side (Kevin Filpski)

Since joining The Royal Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2002, Lauren Cuthbertson has become a much-loved member of the Company, ascending to Soloist and Principal Dancer, and this special boxed set showcases why - combining five outstanding performances by one of the world’s leading ballerinas. This collection includes two iconic roles she created for The Royal Ballet: the fun-filled, eponymous Alice (“the part she was born to play" - The Daily Telegraph) in Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; and Jacqueline du Pré in the biographical work The Cellist by Cathy Marston. The latter is paired with Frederick Ashton’s delightful The Two Pigeons in a new collection created especially for this box. Finally, two all-time classics feature Lauren as the Sugar-Plum Fairy in Peter Wright’s magical production of The Nutcracker, and then as a heart-breaking Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan’s signature work, Romeo & Juliet.

On this new release from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s classic tale is reimagined especially for the screen. King Leontes rips his family apart but grief opens his heart. Will he find the child he abandoned before it is too late? This production of Shakespeare’s play is staged for the screen by the RSC. Directed by Erica Whyman, the play is set across a 16-year span, from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II to the moon landings. “The first ever televised Royal Shakespeare Company world premiere is solid.” (The Independent) “Autolycus can be a touchstone for personal taste and Anne Odeke was delicious here across the whole gamut, from singing voice through to cream-cake comedy.” (The Arts Desk)

Reviews

“Enchanting” – The Times ★★★★

“Engaging and high-spirited” – The Stage ★★★★

Verdi was commissioned by the Paris Opera to write Don Carlo to a French libretto. The source material was a dramatic play by Schiller and the work premiered as a five-act grand opera in March 1867 under the title Don Carlos. Set in the 16th century, its subject is Carlo, the son of Spain’s King Phillip II, and his love for Elizabetta, whom Philip later marries. The nature of the crises and conflicts Carlo faces, personal and political, drive the drama with unremitting intensity. In 1958 the celebrated director Luchino Visconti was invited by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to stage his first opera outside Italy. The choice was the five-act Italian-language Don Carlo and the spectacular production was pivotal in establishing this version as a repertoire piece. In 1985 the Royal Opera House once again presented its Visconti production with Bernard Haitink memorably directing a superb cast that includes Ileana Cotrubas at the height of her powers and Luis Lima, unequalled in his tortured introspection, in the title role.