News - Coppélia

Audiences at 600 cinemas across the UK can get their festive fix this Christmas with a screening of The Royal Ballet’s Coppélia, broadcast live in cinemas this December...

Press Release

Charming and funny, Coppélia tells a story of love, mischief and mechanical dolls. A classic of The Royal Ballet’s repertory, the ballet was choreographed by the founder of The Royal Ballet, Dame Ninette de Valois. Her choreography is technically complex and requires impeccable comic timing from the dancers. Cinema audiences will be treated to a superb cast featuring Principal Marianela Nuñez as the feisty Swanilda, Principal Vadim Muntagirov as her beloved Franz and Principal Character Artist Gary Avis as the magician Dr Coppélius.

Dr Coppélius appears to have a beautiful daughter – Coppélia. Franz becomes infatuated with her from seeing her sitting on the doctor’s balcony. Franz’s fiancée Swanilda is very upset. She and her friends break into the house and discover that Coppélia is one of several life-sized mechanical dolls made by the doctor. Dr Coppélius kidnaps Franz; he plans to make him into a human sacrifice and thus enable Coppélia to come to life. However, Swanilda manages to rescue Franz by making the mechanical dolls dance; she thus distracts Coppélius so that she and Franz can run away. Fortunately Dr Coppélius is not as villainous as he seems, and in the final act he makes peace with Swanilda and Franz, who are now free to celebrate their wedding.

The Royal Opera House cinema broadcasts offer audiences the best seat in the house, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Audience members are never far from a performance at the Royal Opera House, with most people in the UK within thirty miles of a cinema screening. As well as being shown in the UK, Coppélia will be broadcast to more than 1,000 cinemas in 53 countries around the world.

The Royal Ballet Coppélia will be live broadcast in cinemas on Tuesday 10th December at 7.15pm with an encore screening on Sunday 15th December at 2pm

The next live cinema performance will be The Royal Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty on Thursday 16 January 2020.

Find more information and book tickets: HERE




The 2019/20 Royal Opera House Cinema Season is as follows:

• The Royal Ballet’s Coppélia
o Live from Tuesday 10 December 2019, encore on Sunday 15 December 2019

• The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker (recorded 2016)
o From Tuesday 17 December 2019

• The Royal Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty
o Live Thursday 16 January 2020, encore on Sunday 19 January 2020

• The Royal Opera’s La bohème (co-production with Teatro Real, Madrid, and Lyric Opera of Chicago)
o Live Wednesday 29 January 2020, encore on Sunday 2 February 2020

• The Royal Ballet’s The Cellist (world premiere)/Dances at a Gathering
o Live Tuesday 25 February 2020, encore on Sunday 1 March 2020

• The Royal Opera’s Fidelio (new production)
o Live Tuesday 17 March 2020, encore on Sunday 22 March 2020

• The Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake
o Live Wednesday 1 April 2020, encore on Sunday 5 April 2020

• The Royal Opera’s Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci (co-production with La Monnaie, Brussels, Opera Australia and Göteborg Opera)
o Live Tuesday 21 April 2020, encore on Sunday 26 April 2020

• The Royal Ballet’s The Dante Project (world premiere)
o Live Thursday 28 May 2020, encore on Sunday 31 May 2020

• The Royal Opera’s Elektra (new production)
o Live Thursday 18 June 2020, encore on Sunday 21 June 2020


Image - Gary Avis as Dr Coppélius and Marianela Nuñez as Swanilda in Coppélia ©2019 ROH. Photograph by Gavin Smart