From opera to ballet and the most dramatic of dramas, these are the productions that can’t be missed – at least, not if you plan to hold your own at the next dinner party.
By Fiona Brutscher
The National Theatre’s Jubilee, Warsaw, Poland: The Polish National Theatre’s 250th anniversary continues with yet more premieres and an international theatre festival. Celebrations are accompanied by exhibitions, educational programmes and publication of the first comprehensive history of the National Stage. narodowy.pl
Hamlet, Barbican, London: While early reviews were mixed, there’s no denying that this production of Hamlet was the most talked about show of the year. Benedict Cumberbatch’s turn as the Danish prince had media and fans in a tizzy. Now’s your last chance to find out whether his performance lives up to the hype. hamlet.barbican.org.uk
Tip – Getting Tickets: Needless to say, tickets sold out in a flash, but there’s hope yet: 30 last-minute seats, as well as returns, are available at the Barbican box office every day. Expect long queues and be prepared for disappointment… However, you can still catch a National Theatre Live screening of the performance at a cinema near you! ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Antigone On Tour, USA: The Barbican’s applauded production of Antigone is crossing the pond for a US tour. Ivo van Hove’s sombre rendition of this great classic is unequivocally contemporary: Set design, music, language, and of course Juliette Binoche, as the ultimate tragic heroine of our time. barbican.org.uk
Desdemona, Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney: The Sydney Festival is launching its 40th anniversary celebrations with a special staging of Desdemona. Toni Morrison’s play about Shakespeare’s ill-fated heroine, Othello’s wife, is a haunting “musical” scored by Malian singer songwriter Rokia Traoré. sydneyfestival.org.au
Tip – The Best Tickets: The highlight of Sydney Festival’s main anniversary programme in January 2016 will be Thalia Theater Hamburg’s raucous adaptation of Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck (as imagined by Tom Waits and Robert Wilson). Those planning on catching that show, too, can purchase them as a special package with Desdemona tickets, at a slightly reduced price. sydneyfestival.org.au
China Doll, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York: Al Pacino, on Broadway, in a play written for him by David Mamet… These tickets will pretty much sell themselves. The highly anticipated star show has a announced a strictly limited run, as everyone will be scrambling to see the Oscar winner in the flesh. chinadollbroadway.com
Tip – Cheaper Broadway Tickets: Those who want to be on the safe side should always buy Broadway tickets in advance, but if you fancy your luck, you can get discounted last-minute tickets at TKTS booths. They can be up to half-price… if they’re available. tdf.org
Melbourne Festival: In a city of festivals, this is the event to attend if you just can’t make up your mind between music, theatre, dance, visual arts or film. Melbourne Festival has a bit of everything and something for everyone, including families. festival.melbourne
Tip – Melbourne Festival For Free: Best of all, there’s plenty of events on the schedule that are free of charge – from the opening celebration on Fed Square and the Stage on Screen series, to contemporary and classical music sessions. festival.melbourne
Kansas City Choir Boy, American RepertoryTheater, Boston: Courtney Love has had a long miscellany of job titles, not all of them complimentary, but her latest incarnation – as an opera diva – has earned her heaps of praise. After the festival premiere in January, this is the first time to catch the production as it goes on tour. americanrepertorytheater.org
Gianni Schicchi & Pagliacci, LA Opera, Los Angeles: One last chance to see Plácido Domingo star in a riotous operatic double-bill: as Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, staged by Woody Allen, and as Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, directed by Franco Zeffirelli. laopera.org
Opera at the Beach, Los Angeles: Despite all the cinematic and operatic heavyweights behind this production, there are still tickets available for the final performance. And if you’d prefer to see the opera for free, you can catch the live public broadcast at Santa Monica Pier. laopera.org
Dublin Theatre Festival: Several of the greatest English-speaking playwrights called Dublin home, so it only makes sense for today’s dramatic greats from all over the world to gather here for an excellent 18-day schedule of theatrical events. dublintheatrefestival.com
Mefistofele, Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich: Goethes Faust, that most German of dramas, retold in Italian, performed in “Italy’s most northerly city”. The Bavarian state opera is opening its 2015/16 run with a bang, but even bigger things are ahead with Rolando Villazón taking to the stage later in the season. staatsoper.de
CODA International Dance Festival, Oslo: A world-class programme of events, with fantastic performances staged in stunning venues like the Oslo Opera House. Choreographers and dancers from all over the world will examine themes of identity, belonging and home. codadancefest.no
Balanchine, Millepied, Robbins, Opera de Paris: Star choreographer Benjamin Millepied takes a deep bow to his Russian-American predecessors George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins at the venerable Palais Garnier. Later performances will also be broadcast globally as part of the Dance at the Cinema series. operadeparis.fr
Teatro La Fenice, Venice: As the 2015/16 season comes to an end, this month is the last chance to catch some of the acclaimed performances, from La Traviata and Tosca to the final performance of Mozart’s Zauberflöte, in one of the most opulent opera houses in the world. teatrolafenice.it
Tip – Dinner at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice: One of the October performances of La Traviata comes with an optional extra treat: A buffet dinner in the intimate (and ornate) setting of the chandelier-illuminated Sale Apollinee after the performance. teatrolafenice.it
Otello, Metropolitan Opera, New York: The most talked-about aspect of this production is the fact that, for the first time in history, the Met’s moor isn’t played by a white man in blackface. The more pertinent news, however, is that early reviews are positive. metopera.org
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