Carmike Cinemas to show Five Royal Opera House Masterworks in 26 States

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Mon, 10/13/2008 - 20:00 -- Nick Dager

Carmike Cinemas has announced that The Royal Opera House in HD Series of Five Masterworks will be featured on 42 digital high definition screens through DigiScreen at local Carmike theatres in 26 states. The Royal Opera House is the home of three world-class performing companies -- The Royal Ballet The Royal Opera and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Carmike Cinemas will feature a series of five masterworks - including two operas and three ballets. Carmen: Thursday October 16 7:00 p.m. and Sunday October 19 1:00 p.m. Bizet's Carmen is one of those rare operas in which every number seems to be a familiar favorite melody. It is jam-packed with sexy solos rousing choruses impassioned arias and delightful Spanish dances. The Spanish heat and gypsy passion of Carmen comes to life in Francesca Zambello's production recreating the sun-drenched and sensual world of 19th century Spain with its ranks of soldiers and crowds of peasants gypsies and bullfighters its spectacle and its deadly white-hot emotions. At the heart of the story of one woman's tangled relationships with two men is Carmen herself played by the singer-actor Anna Caterina Antonacci. German tenor Jonas Kaufmann and the Italian baritone Ildebrando D’Arcangelo join the Italian soprano. The Sleeping Beauty: Thursday October 23 7:00 p.m. and Sunday October 26 1:00 p.m. Britain's Royal Ballet brings to the screen one of ballet's most loved classics. The Sleeping Beauty combines in a single work all the charms and virtuosity that ballet has to offer. This famous staging was created for the Royal Ballet in 1946 from the original 1890 Marius Petipa production in St. Petersburg. It was revived for the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Royal Ballet in 2006. The Sleeping Beauty is led by two of the Royal Ballet's finest dancers; Alina Cojocuru stars as Princess Aurora and Federico Bonelli stars as Prince Florimud. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House plays Tchaikovsky’s score for this beautiful ballet. Tales of Beatrix Potter: Thursday October 30 7:00 p.m. and Sunday November 2 1:00 p.m. The London Royal Ballet's production of Tales of Beatrix Potter brings the characters from her famous stories alive on-stage. The production's ingenious use of scale when designing the sets and their spectacular costumes and masks quickly draws audiences in to the wondrous world of Peter Rabbit Jeremy Fisher and Jemima Puddleduck. Only in the Royal Ballet's Tales of Beatrix Potter will you behold the delightful dancing of naughty mice see Pigling Bland and Pig-Wig perform a wonderful pig pas de deux witness an overly excited Squirrel Nutkin leap twirl and whirl around the stage and cheer as all of the much loved characters join in the glorious grand finale. John Lanchbery's music based mostly on forgotten Victorian melodies is utterly captivating inspiring spirited playing from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Paul Murphy. Le Nozze Di Figaro: Thursday November 6 7:00 p.m. and Sunday November 9 1:00 p.m. Mozart's music makes Le Nozze di Figaro one of the finest jewels in the opera repertory with a wealth of famous melodies that commence with the familiar first notes of the energetic Overture. A London highlight of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth David McVicar's spellbinding production illuminates Mozart's masterpiece shifting the action to a French chateau in the aftermath of the 1830 revolution. At the tragic heart of the opera Gerald Finely's suave dashingly self-absorbed Count and Dorothea Roschmann's passionately dignified Countess are deadlocked in a romantic contest that impacts dramatically on the court's feisty valet Figar (Erwin Schrott) and his fiancee the sassy Susanna (Miah Persson). The late-summer beauty of Paule Constable's lighting and Tanya McCallin's evocative sets provide the perfect backdrop for the invigorating wit and emotional depth of Antonio Pappano's conducting of the Royal Opera House Orchestra. Romeo and Juliet: Thursday November 13 7:00 p.m. and Sunday November 16 1:00 p.m. The Royal Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet is a major event featuring the much anticipated partnering of extraordinary prima ballerina Tamara Rojo and superstar Carlos Acosta in the title roles. Kenneth MacMillian's interpretation of Shakespeare's enduring tragedy is one of the most popular works in The Royal Ballet repertory and one of the greatest examples of 20th century choreography. The setting is Renaissance Verona where a chance meeting ignites a profound love between Romeo and Juliet bringing with it first hope of uniting their families in peace followed by a misunderstanding and finally tragedy and death. Prokofiev's music is an instantly recognizable classic of the modern repertory here complemented by choreography of beauty and touching fluidity. Here is a complete listing of the theaters and locations. Contact your local theatre for ticket prices and availability. STATE             CITY                 THEATER Alabama           Auburn               Wynnsong 16 Arkansas          Fort Smith           Carmike 14 Arkansas          Hot Springs          Central City 10 Colorado          Colorado Springs     Chapel Hills 15 Colorado          Fort Collins         Carmike 10 Delaware          Dover                Carmike 10 Florida           Bradenton            Royal Palm 20 Florida           Panama City          Carmike 10 Georgia           Albany               Wynnsong 16 Georgia           Columbus             Carmike 15 Georgia           Savannah             Carmike 10 Iowa              Cedar Rapids         Wynnsong 12 Iowa              Des Moines           Southridge 12 Illinois          Champaign            Beverly 18 Illinois          Decatur              Strand 10 Indiana           Elkhart              Encore Park 14 Michigan          Battle Creek         Lakeview Square 10 Minnesota         Apple Valley         Carmike 15 Minnesota         Moundsview           Wynnsong 15 Montana           Billings             Wynnsong 10 Montana           Bozeman              Campus Square 8 North Carolina    Durham               Wynnsong 15 Nebraska          Scottsbluff          Monument 6 Ohio              Findlay              Carmike 12 Ohio              Saint Clairsville    Ohio Valley Mall 11 Oklahoma          Stillwater           Carmike 10 Oregon            Corvallis            Carmike 12 Pennsylvania      Pittsburgh           Carmike 10 South Carolina    Columbia             Carmike 14 South Carolina    Myrtle Beach         Broadway 16 South Dakota      Rapid City           Carmike 10 Tennessee         Chattanooga          Wynnsong 10 Tennessee         Clarksville          Governor's Square 10 Tennessee         Franklin             Thorough 20 Tennessee         Nashville            Wynnsong 10 Texas             Edinburg             Carmike 20 Texas             El Paso              Carmike 16 Utah              Provo                Wynnsong 12 Utah              West Valley City     Hollywood Connection 15 Virginia          Lynchburg            Carmike 8 Washington        Kennewick            Carmike 12 Wyoming           Cheyenne             Frontier 20