Lovers of opera and ballet will have a difficult choice to make this weekend, with Palace Byron Bay Cinema screening two exceptional arts programs on Sunday.
Palace is screening the Paris Opera production of Falstaff, Giuseppe Verdi’s final masterpiece, written when Verdi was almost 80 years old. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor, Verdi created the unique character of the old, penniless and pot-bellied knight.
Arias, duets and ensembles merge in the same musical movement, continuous and boisterous, making Falstaff an unsurpassed operatic comedy that, a century later, continues to give audiences the gift of joyous laughter.
Conducted by Daniel Oren and directed by Dominique Pitoiset, Falstaff stars Ambrogio Maestri as Sir John Falstaff, with Artur Rucinski, Paolo Fanale, Svetla Vassileva and Elena Tsallagova.
Also screening on Sunday is Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, performed by The Royal Ballet.
Those familiar with Lewis Carroll’s literary menagerie of colourful characters will enjoy the clarity with which choreographer Christopher Wheeldon portrays them in dance.
The whole company is drawn into the fun, dancing a myriad of quirky characters: a twitchy White Rabbit, a tap-dancing Mad Hatter, a sinuous caterpillar and so many more.
Alice and the Knave of Hearts, deftly danced by two Royal Ballet principal dancers, are at the centre of the story, and the role of The Queen of Hearts, another principal, is wittily captured with hilarious results.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a brilliantly imagined show with a magical score, ingeniously inventive designs, a wealth of theatrical effects, and something for everyone to treasure.
Directed by Kevin O’Hare, with a cast featuring Sarah Lamb, Federico Bonelli, Edward Watson, ZenaIda Yanowsky and Steven McRae.
Both films are screening at 1pm so you are going to have to choose.
Tickets to Falstaff and Alice’s Adventures are $22–$27, children 14 and under $15.