The Royal Ballet and Opera in Covent Garden is the at the heart of London and British cultural life, both performing terrific productions from The Royal Opera House.
Getting there adds to the expense of an evening – trains, tubes and buses have to be got, and it adds to the time.
Instead of heading to London, a short journey up the A4 to Maidenhead will allow people to enjoy the very best shows and have time for dinner first. It’s the next best thing to being there.
Since 2008, The Royal Ballet and Opera’s cinema programme has brought over 120 opera and ballet broadcasts to audiences across the globe. It now reaches more than 1,500 cinemas from the UK to New Zealand, bringing the best of their resident companies to the big screen.
Norden Farm says its 2024/25 cinema season brings exciting new productions to the screen, all the way through to May 2025.
And tickets for each screening are £16.
Tickets are available from the Box Office on 01628 788997 or online at www.nordenfarm.org
The Royal Opera House’s The Tales of Hoffman comes first
The Royal Opera: The Tales of Hoffman is Jacques Offenbach’s dream-like opera.
Through the haze of the years, a poet remembers the women he loved.
But when it comes to matters of the heart, nothing is as it seems. Particularly when the devil himself is involved…
Journeying back to his school days, Hoffman relives his childhood romance with Olympia, a model student in every sense. Doomed love follows him into adulthood, where the dancer, Antonia is taken from him too soon.
Meanwhile, the sensual courtesan Giulietta has her own secret agenda. As memory and fantasy becomes blurred, will Hoffman find the enigmatic Stella before it’s too late?
It will be screened on Wednesday, January 15, at 6.45pm, and it will be sung in French with subtitles.
For more details, or to book, log on to: https://norden.farm/events/the-royal-opera-the-tales-of-hoffmann
The Royal Ballet: Swan Lake
The Royal Ballet: Swan Lake is classical ballet’s most powerful tale of love, treachery and forgiveness.
It will be screened on Thursday, February 27, at 7.15pm.
Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans while out hunting. When one of the swans turns into a beautiful woman, Odette, he is enraptured.
READ MORE: Nettlebed Folk Club to welcome McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle for first gig of 2025
But she is under a spell that holds her captive, allowing her to regain her human form only at night. Doomed to remain a swan forever, Odette has but one way to break the sorcerer’s spell.
For more details or to book, log on to: https://norden.farm/events/the-royal-ballet-swan-lake-88
The Royal Ballet: Romeo and Juliet
The Capulets and Montagues are sworn enemies in The Royal Ballet: Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare’s great love story is brilliantly retold through this modern ballet classic celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025.
It is love at first sight for Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet when they meet each other at the Capulet ball, into which Romeo has snuck.
The two fall in love and they profess their devotion to each other at Juliet’s balcony.
They secretly get married.
The stakes are raised for the young couple when Romeo avenges the death of his friend Mercutio who has been killed by Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. For this, Romeo is exiled from Verona. Meanwhile, Juliet’s parents are forcing her to marry another suitor. In order to be together, Romeo and Juliet must risk it all.
See the screening on Thursday, March 20, at 7.15pm.
For more details, log on to: https://norden.farm/events/the-royal-ballet-romeo-and-juliet
The Royal Opera: Turandot
The beautiful but icy princess Turandot will only marry a man who can correctly answer three riddles in Puccini’s captivating opera. The Royal Opera: Turandot is screened on Tuesday, April 1, at 7.15pm.
Those who fail are brutally beheaded. But when an unknown prince arrives, the balance of power in Turandot’s court is forever shaken, as the mysterious stranger does what no other has been able to.
It is sung in Italian subtitles.
For more details or to book, log on to: https://norden.farm/events/the-royal-opera-turandot
The Royal Ballet: Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works
Sensuous contemporary ballet meets the energy of musical theatre in four distinctive short works.
The Royal Ballet: Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works is screened on Thursday, May 22, at 7.15pm.
The four works show the remarkable choreographic range of The Royal Ballet’s Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon
Fool’s Paradise
Luminescent and shimmering, Fool’s Paradise marked the first of Wheeldon’s many collaborations with composer Joby Talbot. It was created in 2007 for Wheeldon’s own company, Morphoses, and first performed in 2012 by the Royal Ballet.
The Two of Us
The wistful songs of Joni Mitchell set the scene for the UK premiere of The Two of Us, a duet of deep intimacy and yearning. It was created in 2020 for the Fall for Dance Festival in New York.
The Two of Us is a tender duet danced by two men.
It was created in 2017 for BalletBoyz and is set to Keaton Henson’s music.
An American in Paris
The Royal Ballet celebrates Wheeldon’s extraordinary success in musical theatre by performing the ballet scene from his Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris.
Set to Gershwin’s jazzy melodies, the musical is inspired by the 1951 film of the same name starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. For more details, or to book, log on to: https://norden.farm/events/the-royal-ballet-ballet-to-broadway-wheeldon-works
Get Cheeselogs in your inbox!
Sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest posts, news and surprises. It's completely free, and goes straight to your inbox.
