Francesca Hayward News

The Royal Opera House is one week away from the start of its first full Season since 2019, opening its doors to the public every day from 12pm and premiering with The Royal Opera’s spectacular new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto on September 13 and, for The Royal Ballet, a sumptuous performance of Kenneth MacMillan’s much-loved production of Romeo and Juliet on 5 October.  

Seeing both of these movies and comparing their teams has shown that Hollywood needs to let Broadway people work on movie musicals. There is an understanding that Broadway people have of musicals that Hollywood people don't. 

The Royal Ballet celebrates contemporary choreography in an evening that demonstrates the breadth of choreographic talent working with the Company today. Francesca Hayward and Valentino Zucchetti dance a pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour, performed as part of The Royal Ballet's 21st Century Choreographers mixed programme. 

Francesca Hayward and Valentino Zucchetti dance a pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour, performed as part of The Royal Ballet's 21st Century Choreographers mixed programme.

Continuing the week that dance returned to the UK, the Royal Ballet favoured a contemporary focus with a mixed bill under the banner title, 21st Century Choreographers. As if the occasion needed further anticipation, earlier that day both immediate and upcoming promotions were announced, with First Soloists Fumi Kaneko and Mayara Magri making the step up to Principal. As at Sadler’s Wells the night before, there was giddy applause and foot-stamping as we were welcomed to the performance and a spontaneous standing ovation before anyone had danced a step: heart-swelling stuff. 

The Royal Opera House has shared early plans for its 2021/22 Season, the first full Royal Opera House Season since 2019.   

This week marks the first anniversary of the world premiere of The Cellist, alongside Dances at a Gathering, and we are delighted to announce that a recording of this mixed programme is now available to pre-order on DVD (£24.99) and Blu-ray (£29.99), ahead of its release on Friday 26 February.

Romeo and Juliet: Beyond Words, the critically acclaimed collaboration between the Royal Ballet and Balletboyz will be available to own on DVD from 27th November 2020

This latest gala from the Royal Ballet had been planned to be performed in front of a live and appreciative audience, drinking in their first in-person, post lockdown performance. Alas, the stars did not align, but the tenacity of the Opera house team means this “all guns blazing” display is still a joy to watch online. 

The Royal Ballet returned to the stage for the first time in seven months on Friday night. Yes, I could contextualise about how this was bitter sweet and dampened by social distancing but, the dance was too stupendous to give any time to that so let's not and just marvel about how wonderful it was to see them again. 

The Royal Ballet is Back on Stage and returns for a special live-streamed celebration performance on Friday 9 October at 7.30pm BST.

Jason Derulo looks back at the last time he visited 'The Kelly Clarkson Show,' including the jaw-dropping moment where he impersonated a feline on all fours. Plus, he talks about his new single, 'Take You Dancing,' and all the crazy things he's done to stay entertained during quarantine.

This film adaptation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece takes legendary Royal Ballet choreographer Kenneth MacMillan’s 1965 audience favorite out of the theater and into the streets of a cinematic Verona, offering a passionate reimagining of this timeless love story.

This week the Royal Opera House has announced in partnership with The Luna Drive In Cinema, broadcasts of four Royal Opera House favourites at iconic drive-in cinema locations around the country.

Every theatre has a 'ghost light'. A light that is left on when the theatre is empty for the resident ghost, but mainly to make sure that those who are first in or last out do not fall off the edge of the stage. It's reassuring to think that no theatre ever goes dark, but you could not help but be moved by the shots of dark emptiness within London's vast Royal Opera House as they screened their first live performance since the shutdown of all theatres and live venues across the country.

Universal Ballet Competition, the nation's premiere ballet competition that bridges emerging talent from all racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds, will host a virtual competition experience, June 12-14 for dancers age 8-27.

American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Misty Copeland and former colleague, 'Ballet's Golden Boy' Joseph Phillips, have joined forces with The Entertainment Industry Foundation, with seed funding provided by K Period Media, to launch Swans for Relief

American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Misty Copeland and former colleague, 'Ballet's Golden Boy' Joseph Phillips, have joined forces with The Entertainment Industry Foundation, with seed funding provided by K Period Media, to launch Swans for Relief, a virtual ballet event to raise needed funds to help ballet dancers around the world.

Need something new to read or watch? Check out this week's list of new and upcoming releases including Cats on Blu-Ray, Sea Wall/A Life audiobook, and more!

Hugh Jackman, who is set to star on Broadway this fall in The Music Man, had the potential to be turned into a CGI cat in the Tom Hooper film adaptation of the hit musical.