From stage to big screen
The Nutcracker is one of several classic productions that will be screened in high-definition at the Coast Capital Playhouse.
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Updated: September 02, 2009 3:50 PM
Starting this month, Peninsula residents have an opportunity to see some of the finest works of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Gran Teatre del Licieu in Barcelona, or the Opera Nacional de Paris.
And the furthest they have to travel is the Coast Capital Playhouse, in White Rock (1532 Johnston Rd.).
Thanks to the White Rock Peninsula Rotary Club – and the latest digital high-definition technology – audiences will be treated to crystal-clear, surround-sound versions of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, the ballet Cinderella, Verdi’s opera spectacle Aida, Handel’s Messiah and The Nutcracker.
The HD movies – each shot with seven cameras including close-ups and on-stage detail – are designed to give each viewer ‘the best seat in the house’ at some of the most artistically-outstanding professional productions and greatest performance venues in the world.
The series is a follow-up to last year’s successful presentations of Royal Opera House productions by the club at the playhouse.
“We wanted to make sure we catered to all ages – there’s something there for everybody,” said club member David Hothi, also a cinema owner, who has been instrumental in securing the exclusive screenings.
“The success of last season made us look toward family events, such as Cinderella and The Nutcracker, but we also have things that appeal to a more teenage-to-adult crowd.”
The season gets underway Sunday, Sept. 13 with a 2 p.m. matinee showing of Don Giovanni.
This is one matinee not designed for children. Based on the legends of Don Juan, the opera is Mozart’s dark and compelling vision of a descent into the searing flames of hell, portraying the central character as a charismatic narcissist who seduces, rapes and ultimately commits murder.
The second presentation of the season (Nov. 1, 2 p.m.) is far more family friendly: the Paris Opera Ballet’s version of Cinderella, choreographed by the famed Rudolf Nureyev to Sergei Prokofiev’s immortal music. But there’s a twist to this version – Perrault’s familiar tale is updated to an art deco world of the 1930s and 1940s in which Cinderella escapes grim reality with dreams of Hollywood and finds her handsome prince in the person of a movie star.
On Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., the series continues with Aida, a magnificently opulent Spanish production of the Ancient Egyptian tale of the ill-fated love between an Ethiopian princess (Daniella Dessi) and a military commander loyal to the Pharaoh, utilizing restored tromp l’oeil sets originally painted in the 1930s and 1940s by designer Josep Mestres Cabanes.
Two concluding presentations on Monday, Dec. 21 offer contrasting Christmas treats.
The 2 p.m. matinee is the San Francisco Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker, in which Tchaikovsky’s immortal music, and the familiar story of a young girl’s Christmas Eve dream, are complimented by more than 200 costumed characters, larger-than-life scenery and magical surprises.
At 7 p.m., the most popular of all oratorios, Handel’s beloved Messiah, will be shown in a version produced by King’s College, Cambridge, under direction of Stephen Cleobury and featuring the full college choir.
“It’s a very spiritual performance that would uplift anybody,” Hothi said.
The continuing success of such screenings means there will be a second season in the new year, running January through May, he added, which may include popular music presentations with the opera and ballet mix.
Tickets for the current season ($80 for all performances, single tickets, $20) are available at the Coast Capital Playhouse boxoffice, 604-536-7535.
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