The lyricist Lorenz Hart’s collaborations with composer Richard Rodgers are the stuff of legend. Yet, in 1943, only months before he died from pneumonia, Hart’s partnership with Rodgers was on the rocks. Rodgers had first paired up with Oscar Hammerstein II, and their musical Oklahoma! had reinvigorated and reinvented narrative musical theatre.

Richard Linklater’s luminous, erudite drama imagines a loquacious Hart (an astonishing tour de force by Ethan Hawke) on the night of Oklahoma!’s premiere, holed up at Sardi’s and moving through various stages of grief and acceptance when faced with Broadway’s new world order. Also featuring stellar supporting work from Andrew Scott, Margaret Qualley and Bobby Cannavale, Blue Moon is a surprising yet entirely fitting addition to the Linklater canon: a film about the inevitable passage of time and the feeling of being left behind by those stuck in its folds.

osh O’Connor is superb as a rudderless everyman out of step with his immediate environs and the country at large, in Kelly Reichardt’s funny, shaggy heist film.

1970s America has witnessed a generational chasm and a society torn apart by Vietnam. But JB is oblivious to these cultural changes as he bumbles towards a major art heist. Reichardt’s (First Cow, Wendy and Lucy) smartly crafted drama offers a sensitive political critique of our times, and a quietly thoughtful examination of what we owe ourselves, as well as our familial and social tribes. With its jazzy score, period detailing and nuanced performances, it’s a cinematic joy from the get-go.

The magician Herr Drosselmeyer needs to save his nephew. Hans-Peter has been transformed into a Nutcracker; the only way to save him is for the Nutcracker to defeat the Mouse King and find a girl to love and care for him. A flicker of hope comes in the form of the young Clara, whom Drosselmeyer meets at a Christmas party. With some magic, a cosy Christmas gathering turns into a marvellous adventure.

Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker has enchanted audiences since its 1984 premiere by the Company. Featuring Tchaikovsky’s most familiar melodies and brought to life by Julia Trevelyan Oman’s exquisite designs, The Nutcracker is sure to be a festive firecracker for all ages.

Cast:  

To be confirmed

Creatives:

Choreography PETER WRIGHT after LEV IVANOV

Music PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Conductor KOEN KESSELS

Original Scenario MARIUS PETIPA after E.T.A. HOFFMANN

Production and Scenario PETER WRIGHT

Designer JULIA TREVELYAN OMAN

Lighting Designer MARK HENDERSON

Production Consultant ROLAND JOHN WILEY