Audiences at 600 cinemas across the UK can get their festive fix this Christmas with a screening of The Royal Ballet’s Coppélia, broadcast live in cinemas on Tuesday 10 December at 7.15pm with an encore screening on Sunday 15 December at 2pm.
Charming and funny, Coppélia tells a story of love, mischief and mechanical dolls. A classic of The Royal Ballet’s repertory, the ballet was choreographed by the founder of The Royal Ballet, Dame Ninette de Valois. Her choreography is technically complex and requires impeccable comic timing from the dancers. Cinema audiences will be treated to a superb cast featuring Principal Marianela Nuñez as the feisty Swanilda, Principal Vadim Muntagirov as her beloved Franz and Principal Character Artist Gary Avis as the magician Dr Coppélius.
Dr Coppélius appears to have a beautiful daughter – Coppélia. Franz becomes infatuated with her from seeing her sitting on the doctor’s balcony. Franz’s fiancée Swanilda is very upset. She and her friends break into the house and discover that Coppélia is one of several life-sized mechanical dolls made by the doctor. Dr Coppélius kidnaps Franz; he plans to make him into a human sacrifice and thus enable Coppélia to come to life. However, Swanilda manages to rescue Franz by making the mechanical dolls dance; she thus distracts Coppélius so that she and Franz can run away. Fortunately Dr Coppélius is not as villainous as he seems, and in the final act he makes peace with Swanilda and Franz, who are now free to celebrate their wedding.
The Royal Opera House cinema broadcasts offer audiences the best seat in the house, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Audience members are never far from a performance at the Royal Opera House, with most people in the UK within thirty miles of a cinema screening. As well as being shown in the UK, Coppélia will be broadcast to more than 1,000 cinemas in 53 countries around the world.
The Royal Ballet Coppélia triple bill will be live broadcast in cinemas on Tuesday 10 December at 7.15pm with an encore screening on Sunday 15 December at 2pm. Share on social using #ROHcoppelia.
The next live cinema performance will be The Royal Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty on Thursday 16 January 2020. For more information and to buy tickets: www.roh.org.uk/cinemas