28 February 2018 at 10.29pm | 40 Comments
Oh the weather outside is frightful
But #rohtale is so delightful!— Barbara Zorzato (@barbaralzorzato) February 28, 2018
#ROHtale just stupendous from beginning to end, thank you so much
— Christine Bain (@teanabeaner) February 28, 2018
I think I want to live in Bohemia. Utterly enchanting depiction by @TheRoyalBallet corps de #ballet in The Winter’s Tale at @RoyalOperaHouse, courtesy of #OdeonCoventGarden. Such a treat. #ROHTale #TheWintersTale #Shakespeare #lifegoals
— Gemma Parkes (@gemissima) February 28, 2018
First time watching #ROHtale completely fallen in love! Xoxo from The Netherlands <3
— Silke (@DaSilkah) February 28, 2018
I don’t think I have ever seen a more beautiful piece of stage design than the #ROHTale tree.
— amélie (@amelie_sc) February 28, 2018
Feeling the love down here in Nantgarw #ROHtale and great to see exceptional ballet, contemporary and live music on stage @RoyalOperaHouse
— gethinrussell-jones (@gethinrj) February 28, 2018
@RoyalOperaHouse @TheRoyalBallet Totes enjoying #ROHtale via live link up! Super slick performances that are da bomb! :)
— Josh (@I_am_JT) February 28, 2018
Magical #ROHtale @OdeonCinemas #swisscottage. Such great drama and amazing sets. Behind the scenes fab too #darcybussell @LondonBallerina being a queen is all in the perfume.
— Neville de Souza (@Obiwan_desouza) February 28, 2018
The second act was magnificent! I loved a lot the costumes, the decor and mostly the choreography. Just flawless. The music was very beautiful #ROHtale #RoyalBalletHouse
— Mariya (@thehappigirl) February 28, 2018
What did you think of The Winter's Tale live in cinemas?
Let us know via the comments below.
If you experienced technical issues during this live cinema relay, please email details to cinema@roh.org.uk
The next Royal Opera House live cinema relay of 2017/18 will be The Royal Opera's Carmen on 6 March 2018. Find your nearest cinema and sign up to our mailing list.
28 February 2018 at 10.29pm
This article has been categorised Ballet and tagged by Christopher Wheeldon, cinema, Production, The Winter's Tale, your reaction
This article has 40 comments
Gonna see it on 28th of March. Can't wait!
A complete joy to watch. Loved everything, the choreography, music, costumes, set, were all outstanding.
Just returned from seeing the live screening of Winter's Tale. What a stunning ballet! The collaboration between Christopher Wheeldon, Joby Talbot and Bob Crowley has created a piece which is beautiful, dramatic, heart breaking and uplifting. The last scene had me quietly weeping. The whole cast was magnificent - but Lauren Cuthbertson and Ryoichi Hirano were outstanding - both their dancing and their acting. Cuthbertson is utterly beautiful to watch - you can't take your eyes off her - and Hirano compelling as he shifted from amiable host to jealous fiend and finally broken man. I wasn't sure anyone could match Edward Watson as Leontes - but he absolutely did. Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved.
So enjoyed tonight's performance! Exhilarating, dramatic and so moving. A modern classic surely. Such a treat! Loved the choreography and the music, and the dancing by all was flawless. Thank you for bringing it live to cinemas.
Glorious from start to final curtain call. Exhausting to watch, so glad I did! Thank you Royal Ballet
Loved it ! Especially nice to see Marcelino Sambe back after such a long injury break, dancing superbly and looking like he was having the best time .
Last night Sarah Lamb showed she is the perfect dancer, light as thistledown with beautiful lines, musicality and everything danced with a sense of infinite flexibility and effortlessness. The quality of her dancing made a deep impression.
It was such a brilliant evening, all credit to the production crew and everyone involved. The Royal Ballet live cinema performances are complete magic from start to finish. May there be many,many more.
Absolutely beautiful- thanks to all.
What a fantastic evening of contemporary ballet ... beautifully performed live on stage.
Such an opportunity to be able to sit and watch this superb performance live from ones local cinema. Bringing the arts to the 'homes' of the people all over the world is an absolutely wonderful initiative. Many thanks.
Excellent in every respect. Great choreography, music, design, costumes, all brilliantly danced and performed.
Nothing to not like, thanks to all concerned for an evening of joy.
The relay was good but in my cinema on the Isle of Wight, they ALWAYS have a problem setting the sound level properly
from Covent Garden. Had to complain again. The interviews still have problems with sound and the intro' reading is awkward. But a great evening non the less.
Delightful! Loving everything from the choreography , set and music to the costumes and wonderful dancers. #ROHtale #Royalballet #Royaloperahouse
It was wonderful, magical, indescribable. Live broadcast from London.
Thank you for the magical evening in the Astor Louge in Berlin.
A wonderful ballet, amazing dancing and costumes, absolutely loved the winter’s tale! My favourite Shakespeare play brought alive through ballet is just brilliant!
Fantastic! Design, Music and Choreography all so well-aligned, and then just marvelous performers as well. Ryoichi Hirano stole the show, but also a special mention to Laura Morera for the start of Act III. Totally spellbound. Thank you.
Phantasic music, telling the story so accurate and revealing the multiple layers of it.
Lauren and Sarah were just incredible, both dancing and acting flawless. And don't forget Paulina, who was the rock among the superstars, stable, brave, humble with a dramatic background story of her own. All three female characters were very strong.
Male characters also became humans: far from the idealistic princes and young lovers of classical pieces, they are guilty, they are struggling, they fight their own demons. Wonderful cast!
And then the corps... Extremely demanding huge scenes, beautiful and accurate dancing.
Thanks for all the people who made possible for us, to follow from Budapest.
Choreography delightful and clever, whole ballet charming. As ever with the filming, not enough views of the whole stage. Nowadays direction encompasses the entire stage, there is always something going on - we viewers want the whole picture, as you would in the theatre, not only the close-ups of sweat, exertion and (in the case of opera) spit. Open it up a bit. Please! The live-feeds are wonderful (I live in Scotland) but give us more of the whole view, let us feel the whole spectacle.
Yes! Please give us the choice to watch also things aside...
Completely wonderful, a delight. Brilliant Shakespearean story and fabulous effects, complete elegance and grace. Loved all 3 acts. First time seeing this ballet. Highly recommend
Wonderful choreography Fantastic loved every minute.
Christopher Wheeldon, Lauren, Sarah
Thank you so much for the most magical evening ! You are just brilliant
What an achievement ! every single second was an enchantment of the eye and of the ear
All dancers remarkable
For nothing in the world I would miss a live retransmission of a ballet in Covent garden.
To me the Royal Ballet is definitly the best ballet in the world, the most accomplished, so creative, so artistically and lyrically talented, so always unique .
Can't wait the next ballets to come
British artists create excellency
Claudia from Paris
Watched in Telford last night. We were amazed at the choreography especially in Act 2. Can’t wait for Manon.
A story well told.
What a pleasure, what a luxury, to be able to watch this ballet again. The first night seems a long time ago and to be able to see it, and see it so well, through the eyes of various cameras (and camera men and women) at a fraction of the cost of a ROH seat, was a real treat.Hirano has made Leontes his own, Cuthbertson delves into emotional depths unsuspected, Lamb flashes joy with perfect lighting speed, Muntagirov shows he deserves her, Sambé and Stix Brunel are life's happy faces. And then there is Paulina, Morera, whose hands and feet and eyes say it all. The immense sadness of a woman whose dedication, love and sacrifice is totally taken for granted - and forgotten. What a part! What a dancer!
The corps clearly enjoyed not having to stand around as snowflakes with cold toes (eough of that ou in the street last night) and being given something really meaty to do. Let's not take their dancing - or their acting - for granted.
Crowley's designs were wonderful and imaginative. The music was good in the frist two acts, but peters out a bit in the third.
But and there is a but, the presentation was no better than the NY Met's on a bad day. If the ROH is broadcasting to 27 countries, it might want to remember that some of the viewers will not be able to follow all that mumbled and often inane talk. The only moment that gave us a fresh insight was the visit to Cuthbertson's dressing room. VISUAL interest and verbal INTELLIGIBILITY are vital. If there must be talk, let it be a little more relevant than the cold platter we were served last night. Personally, I would have loved to hear and see more about Wheeldon and his assistant at work. Or about the process of designing those costumes, building those huge sculptures. How does the conductor go about confronting a new score? Do the rehearsal pianists have to make their own reductions? Does every lead dancer have his or her own tailor made costume, or do htey have to share? Come on, ROH, there is lots you can SHOW.
I do so agree with what is said here about the presentation. The interviews with Christopher Wheeldon and Jacquelin Barrett during the first interval reached an all-time low. This amazing choreographer and his assistant deserve to be heard with respect. Instead, the presenters talked over them and, at times, what was being said was incomprehensible. The focus then turned to Lauren Cuthbertson, the evening's leading lady - except that it didn't. Darcey Bussell dominated the conversation, once again introducing constant references to her own career. This approach is unacceptable, especially given that the ROH is broadcasting across the world to people for whom her asides are unlikely to have any meaning.
The Winter's Tale is a ballet which seems made for the big screen. I have seen it at the ROH many times but the impact was, if anything, greater in the cinema - especially from Hirano, Morera and Muntagirov.
My local cinema in Kent cancelled the screening last night (28th Feb) because of the bad weather here in Thanet. Any chance of an encore performance at any point please? Gutted to miss it.
Hi Una,
Yes - you can find your nearest venue showing an Encore screening at http://www.roh.org.uk/cinema
Best wishes,
Chris
I saw it yesterday with a friend. Really liked it technically. The flowers for the princess however were too less. She realy dances very good!
Matinee 24th Feb at ROH
We were priveledged to see this incredible performance. The scenery was stunning,the dancing just wonderful and the performance is one that I shall never forget.Superb.
Perfect words to match an enchanting ballet on the evening performance of 28 February.
Had a great evening, amazing performances by everybody , especially liked the musicians on stage. Nice touch. Looking forward to more . Erik , Groningen Netherlands
Hace unas semanas asistí en la localidad de ALMAZORA en Castellón (ESPAÑA) a vuestra representación de Rigoletto.
Maravillosa experiencia que repetiré seguro.
Enhorabuena ROH
Brilliant production. The principals were all superb. Hirano's expressiveness matched his dancing expertise, Muntagirov was effortlessly fluid as we've come to expect, Cuthbertson & Lamb were brilliant & Morera really suited her role.
The production design stood out, specially the tree & the silks & I loved the way the corps de ballet partied throughout act 2 instead of the usual lines.
Fantastic choreography (though for my personal taste the flexed foot was overdone a little & act 1 was rather too contemporary ), act 2 was wonderful & act 3 very moving.. I'm quite annoyed that Shakespear left Maximillius the only one not "resurrected" at the end!!!
The music varied from act to act to suit the story brilliantly. I've run out of superlatives now so I'll leave it at that.
Beautiful ballet!
Performance brilliant especially Ryoichi Hirano. Local Odeon in Leicester could have done more to make it a more immersive experience. It was a small screen; a bit like watching on a big tv. But well done RoH.
I really enjoyed the dancing. I’ve seen the Ballet before and I love it just as much as the first time I saw it. The dancers were alll superb. Their acting was very genuine and believable. I loved it. However, I must agree re the presentation. It was very poor. Darcey Bussell is not a natural presenter but she can be ok when she sticks to talking about the dancing. Ore Oduba was a total waste of space, completely out of his depth. I think what you seem to be doing is wanting to have a person who knows nothing about ballet and will ask questions lay people may want answered. However, I find this approach patronising. He’d clearly not done his homework. I’m happy to have a non dancer presenting. I think Petroc Trelawny did a good job and he always does his homework. He was able to talk about the music and therefore complemented Darcey Bussell. I’m also sick of the constant adverts for your next productions in the cinema . Yes, it’s good to know about them but to go on about them quite so much? Someone else came up with some really good features for intervals. What about a film re how a new production is created, from day one? Film a youngster from the corps about what it’s like at the coal face as a dancer - follow their day. Do a film re the Royal Ballet school. Show more film of the rehearsal. Show a film of the different areas of the ROH - some people may never be able to go there and would love to see it. Follow a musician’s day. Do a film re your apprentice programme. People love to hear about what goes on behind the scenes. Do a regular feature, following an employee who works behinds the scenes. Buck up your ideas!
Thanks for your comments and feedback.
Do check out our YouTube channel for an array of behind the scenes features, similar to the ones you've said you'd like to see in future:
http://www.youtube.com/royaloperahouse
Best wishes,
Chris
My wife and I trudged through fresh snow and packed ice, as well as a biting wind to reach our local cinema and 'The Winter's Tale'. It was worth every frozen step! An extraordinary fusion of choreography, music and design which brilliantly evoked the passions of Shakespeare's play and the jagged inner lives of its characters. Truly memorable and deeply moving. We sat in a small cinema with four other people, close to the screen, and to be honest felt no less enthralled had we been in the Opera House itself.
Like some others I felt the supporting commentary and interviews verged on the banal, and fell short of exploiting the remarkable talents before us. Scrap interviewers and just allow respectively the choreographer, composer, designer and key performers to elucidate their own work. The only highlight was Nicholas Hytner early on. These live streamings are for us a real godsend.
What a beautiful ballet - SO SO loved ervery minute of The Winters Tale - all the ballet dancers were a joy to watch, the costumes, the scenery, the music the brilliant choreography - just everything, as someone who met and worked with Sir John Tooley - the Royal Opera House is very special from the cinema seat in the North ! Please don't stop relaying your wonderful productions, both opera and ballet.
Absolutely stunning performance of a shakespeare tale, Winters tale, I am not so familiar with.
The brief synopsis provided at the cinema made it very clear, but the music and choreography were mind blowing
more m ore m ore please
As a regular cinema attender I have enjoyed previous performances from ROH, both ballet and opera.
For me the Winters Tale was spoilt by the producers obsession with cutting to various parts of the stage. Having just been to a theatre ballet in Manchester(Sleeping beauty) I was pleased to be able to determine which part of the action or which person I concentrated on rather than endure the 30 + different shots the producer wanted me to watch in the Winter's Tale. Often others on the stage can be as interesting as the producers choice.Please return to single camera shots encompassing the who stage.
regards
tom protheroe
This was a fabulous evening of great dance and music and production.
Kevin O'Hare has done a great job getting Christopher Wheeldon, Toby Jalbot, Bob Crowley and all involved to create a masterwork.
I saw The Winter's Tale at the South Woodford Odeon last week and the cinema was pretty full in spite of the snow outside making the title appropriate! Oh what a show! I saw The Winter's Tale last year at the Royal Opera House and I had to see it again. This time it was Ryoichi Hirano playing the jealous husband, what a performance! And that TREE! Oh how I want that tree! The whole show was utterly utterly gorgeous. I went home smiling and loving every minute of it. Stupendous performance from all the cast and the golden three, Christopher, Joby and Bob.