RHUMBELOW CLASSICS CINEMA - ON THE BIG SCREEN

Cunningham Rd, Umbilo

THE ROYAL BALLET

BALLET TO BROADWAY: WHEELDON WORKS

SUNDAY 29 JUNE 2025 Screening starts 14.00 – DBN
(Venue opens 60 minutes before show for snacks/drinks)

Running time: 210 minutes, including two intervals.

Welcome to the Royal Ballet & Opera House Season 2024/2025, these presentations are LIVE STREAMED EVENTS, with intervals, starring some of the world’s top performers. They are also recorded for venues such as The Rhumbelow Theatre and we are proud to bring you this series of Cinema experiences, as we endeavour to provide entertainment to appeal to everyone.                                            

Musical Theatre and Ballet combine in Ballet to Broadway,
a celebration of Christopher Wheeldon’s
choreographic versatility, broadcast live to cinemas on 22 May

Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works celebrates the choreographic talent of The Royal Ballet’s Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon. In a career spanning ballet to musicals, Wheeldon has earned international acclaim and multiple awards. The programme showcases four works from across the range of Wheeldon’s repertoire, from sensuous contemporary ballets to the dazzle of Broadway choreography. Conducted by Koen Kessels, Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works promises an evening of unparalleled dance theatre and features a new extended excerpt from the ballet section of the Tony-award-winning An American in Paris, Royal Ballet premieres of The Two of Us and Us (Duet), and a revival of Fool's Paradise.

Opening with the luminescent Fool’s Paradise, the first of Wheeldon’s many collaborations with composer Joby Talbot, the ballet was created in 2007 for Wheeldon’s own company, Morphoses, and first performed by The Royal Ballet in 2012. Akane Takada, William Bracewell, Marianela Nuñez and Lukas B. Brændsrød will feature in the cinema live broadcast.

Two Royal Ballet premieres follow. The Two of Us, set to the wistful songs of Joni Mitchell, is a duet of deep intimacy and yearning, created in 2010 for the Fall for Dance Festival in New York featuring prominent American ballet dancers Sarah Mearns and David Hallberg in its original cast. The Two of Us will be performed by Principal Guest Artist Lauren Cuthbertson and Principal dancer Calvin Richardson for the live cinema broadcast.

Us, the second Royal Ballet premiere, is a tender duet danced by two men, created in 2017 for the BalletBoyz and set to music by Keaton Henson.  Principal dancers Matthew Ball and Joseph Sissens will perform in the live cinema broadcast.

Closing the programme is an excerpt of the ballet sequence from the Broadway musical An American in Paris, especially extended for The Royal Ballet. Inspired by the 1951 film of the same name, Wheeldon adapted the work for the Théâtre du Châtelet du Paris in 2014 and subsequently on Broadway where it established Wheeldon as the outstanding musical director-choreographer of his generation. The musical depicts the blossoming romance between the American G.I. Jerry Mulligan and a French ballerina, Lise Dassin. The ballet excerpt was Wheeldon’s take on one of the most memorable scenes from the film – an extended sequence in which the two central characters dance through Paris, set to George Gershwin’s jazzy melodies. Principal dancers Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales feature as Lise and Jerry in the live cinema broadcast.

***

The Royal Ballet
BALLET TO BROADWAY: WHEELDON WORKS
Broadcast live to cinemas on 22 May

Choreography Christopher Wheeldon

FOOL’S PARADISE
Music Joby Talbot
Costume Designer Narciso Rodriguez
Lighting Designer Penny Jacobus

UK premiere
THE TWO OF US
Music Joni Mitchell
Orchestrated by Gordon Hamilton
Costume Designers Harriet Jung, Reid Bartelme
Lighting Designer Kate Ashton

US (DUET)
Music Keaton Henson
Costume Designer Katherine Watt

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (BALLET)
Music George Gershwhin
Designer Bob Crowley
Lighting Designer Natasha Katz

Conductor Koen Kessels
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Hans Rausing

Generous philanthropic support from John and Susan Burns OBE, Sir Lloyd and Lady Dorfman OBE, Kenneth and Susan Green, Simon and Virginia Robertson and Royal Ballet and Opera Friends

Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon generously supported by Kenneth and Susan Green

The 2024/25 Royal Ballet Season is generously supported by Aud Jebsen

***

About The Royal Ballet

Under the directorship of Kevin O’Hare, The Royal Ballet unites tradition and innovation in world-class performances and is a driving force in the development of ballet as an art form. Based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, it brings together today’s most dynamic and versatile dancers with a world-class orchestra and leading choreographers, composers, conductors, directors and creative teams to share awe-inspiring theatrical experiences with diverse audiences worldwide. The Company’s extensive repertory embraces 19th-century classics, the singular legacy of works by Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, a compelling new canon of work by choreographers today including Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, and the bold and complementary programming in the Linbury Theatre. Guest choreographers Kyle Abraham, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Cathy Marston, Arthur Pita, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, Pam Tanowitz, Mthuthuzeli November, Jessica Lang, Gemma Bond and Twyla Tharp have also created work for the Company.

About the Royal Ballet and Opera

The Royal Ballet and Opera is the home of world-class opera and ballet. We are a cultural powerhouse, bringing together two world-class performing companies in one of the UK’s leading arts institutions, supported by a cast of more than 3,000 employees including technical staff, creatives, and freelancers. Based primarily at the Royal Opera House in the heart of London’s Covent Garden, with production and logistics sites in Thurrock and Aberdare, our work is enjoyed by audiences in our two theatres and globally through our streaming platform, cinema Season and company tours. Our work in schools and communities up and down the country is driven by our curriculum linked programmes, specially designed to inspire creativity, widen access to the arts and diversify the future of opera and ballet. These sit alongside industry-leading talent development projects, regional partnerships, our Young RBO scheme, and a raft of daytime events, family activities, tours, exhibitions, and concerts in our Covent Garden home. We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2035.

About RBO Cinema

Since 2008, our 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 our resident companies to the big screen. Each broadcast offers audiences the best seat in the house, and includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and insights into the rehearsal process. The programme forms an integral part of our plan to secure our future, expand audiences and continue to help facilitate the vital recovery of cinema domestically and internationally.

R 175-00 a ticket

Food available at the venue.

Limited secure parking available    

Booking is essential. 

Bar Available (no alcohol may be brought on to the premises)

Cell 0824998636  BOOKINGS ON EMAIL PLEASE : roland@stansell.co.za  or WEBTICKETS

 http://events.durbantheatre.com/For showbiz news, reviews and interviews don't miss Billy Suter's Website at https://sosuterbill.com/