Monday, November 18, 2013

TOMORROW NIGHT ONLY: Select US Theaters - The Royal Opera House Ballet Series: "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

I just caught wind of this and am still trying to catch up to exactly what it is. Basically, it's an acclaimed and extravagant production of Alice in Wonderland by The Royal Ballet company (Margot Fonteyn's old company) and it will be playing on "the Big Screen" - ie. as a movie - in select theaters throughout the US as a one-time only special event November 19, 2013 (which is tomorrow night!).

Here's a preview (you can see why they'd want to make the most of this production!):
So I can get the news out faster, in case you have some free time tomorrow night, I'm pasting in the press release from the official site:
Date: Tuesday, November 19 
Time: 7:00 PM local time 
Run Time: 3 hours 10 minutes (approximate) (includes two – 20 minute intermissions) 
            
Ticketing: Tickets are available by clicking on the orange “Buy Tickets” button. If online ticketing is not available for your location, you can purchase your tickets by visiting the box office at your local participating cinema. 
Special Fathom Features:  Behind the scenes look at the Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet and exclusive cast interviews. 
Random aside: how much do I adore this balletic flamingo?? (Answer: lots)
NCM Fathom Events, Arts Alliance Media and the Royal Opera House invite you to experience a classic tale of magic and wonder when Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland comes to the big screen in a special one night event onTuesday, November 19 at 7:00pm (local time) in select 
cinemas nationwide. 
                                
Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland arrived on the stage in 2011 with a burst of colour, theatrical magic and inventive choreography. It was The Royal Ballet’s first full-length work since 1995 and was instantly acclaimed as a classic. Joby Talbot’s score combines sweeping melodies, which gesture to ballet scores of the 19th century, with contemporary effects. Bob Crowley’s wildly imaginative sets and costumes draw on puppetry, projections and masks to bring Wonderland to life. 
Alice encounters a cast of extraordinary characters down the rabbit hole: from the highly-strung Queen of Hearts, who performs a hilarious rendition of the famous Rose Adagio from The Sleeping Beauty; to dancing playing cards; a sinuous caterpillar and a tap-dancing Mad Hatter. There is a love narrative for Alice and the Knave of Hearts, and they dance a tender pas de deux at the close of Act II. But the ballet does not avoid the darker undercurrents of Lewis Carroll’s story – a nightmarish kitchen, an eerily disembodied Cheshire Cat and an unhinged tea party are all created in vivid detail.


How can you find out if it's in your theater? Actually the list if pretty good. If you live within driving distance of a decent sized US city, especially if you have an IMAX theater, there's a good chance you could see it (although it's not clear that it's playing in IMAX format - I'd be very surprised if it was!). It's even playing in my local theater and we often miss out being not exactly central LA. You can find a list by state HERE.
There will be two intermissions (just like in the very old days of watching movies!) and audiences are encouraged to tweet comments (on Twitter) before, during the breaks and after the show using the hashtag #ROHalice.


Here's the 3 Act Synopsis:

I wish I'd heard about this before as my Tuesday night is already chock-a-block ... 

*balletomane sob* 

... but the fact that it's playing as a movie likely means a DVD will be available... 

Oh, and there it is! :)

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