Kevin O'Hare faces the possibility of ever more complicated cast changes on the Covent Garden stage when filming of the adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical musical Cats begins as another Royal Ballet dancer is chosen for the movie cast. Soloist Olivia Cowley will be joining her colleagues Francesca Hayward and Steven McRae on the set of Universal Pictures and … [Read more...]
Royal Ballet Principal Francesca Hayward to appear in film adaptation of Cats
Francesca Hayward, Principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, has joined the cast of the film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats, which will be directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King's Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl). The film has an exceptionally starry cast with Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy (played by a man in the stage version; Brian … [Read more...]
Review: Manon at La Scala with Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle
While the role of Manon doesn’t represent the pinnacle of acting challenges, it is surely one of the most satisfying. For a dancer who can act it is a gift, with each scene offering a new state to convey: from the young girl playing at flirting, to becoming the joyfully passionate lover (in the first bedroom pas de deux), to the calculating social climber, to the knowingly … [Read more...]
Balanchine’s Dream sprinkles its magic fairy dust over La Scala for the last time
In the ‘60s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was all the rage: Benjamin Britten’s opera premiered in 1960, Balanchine’s ballet opened in 1962, Ashton’s The Dream came along in 1964, and Peter Hall’s film (with future Dames Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren, and Judi Dench, among the cast) was in 1968. It was no passing fad. Both ballets are now set firmly in the repertoire, the opera is … [Read more...]
John Malkovich’s World Theatre Day message
The 50th annual World Theatre Day, which is March 27, will see John Malkovich give the opening address which will make him the first American actor to do so. He will deliver this year's message at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris on March 22. Jean Cocteau delivered the first World Theatre Day message in 1962, and the list of past World Theatre Day messengers includes Judi … [Read more...]