Ventnor Film Society – The Keeper
Monday 14th & Wednesday 16th October, 7.30pm

PLEASE BOOK DIRECTLY BY EMAIL TO – ventnorfilmsociety@hotmail.com

The extraordinary, true story of Bert Trautmann, a German POW whose goal-keeping talents are spotted by the local football manager. When Bert marries his daughter and signs with Man City FC, the couple faces the hostility of the POWs, locals and Man City’s many Jewish fans. When he wins victory in the 1956 FA Cup Final by playing on with a broken neck, the tide begins to turn in his favour, but fate has more
heartbreak in store for the couple.

Cert 15. 120 mins. In English, subtitled on Wednesday

Gauguin from The National Gallery, London
Tuesday 15th October, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

A stunning, cinematic documentary about the life and work of Paul Gauguin, filmed in Tahiti, France, the Marquesas Islands and the UK. Focusing on one of the world’s most popular and important artists, the screening includes a 60 minute documentary and a 30 minute private view of the exhibition. The first ever exhibition devoted to his portraits, the coverage includes commentary and insights from world experts, artists and Gauguin’s descendants

NT Live –  A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare
Thursday 17th October, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’

A feuding fairy King and Queen of the forest cross paths with four runaway lovers and a troupe of actors trying to rehearse a play. As their dispute grows, the magical royal couple meddle with mortal lives leading to love triangles, mistaken identities and transformations… with hilarious, but dark consequences.

Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedy will be captured live from the Bridge Theatre in London. Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Oliver Chris (Green Wing, NT Live: Young Marx), David Moorst (NT Live: Allelujah!) and Hammed Animashaun (The Barber Shop Chronicles) lead the cast as Titania, Oberon, Puck and Bottom.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will build on the success of his immersive staging of Julius Caesar (NT Live 2018). The Bridge Theatre will become a forest – a dream world of flying fairies, contagious fogs and moonlight revels, surrounded by a roving audience following the action on foot.

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet
Tuesday 22nd October, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet has been hailed as ‘the single most eagerly awaited dance show for 2019’ by The Daily Telegraph. This passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic story of love and conflict is set in the not too distant future in ‘The Verona Institute’.  Here ‘difficult’ young people are mysteriously confined by a society that seeks to divide and crush their youthful spirit and individuality. Our two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together. A timeless story of forbidden love, repressed emotions and teenage discovery, filmed live at Sadler’s Wells in London especially for cinemas.
Bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne’s trademark storytelling, the UK’s brightest young dance talent join the New Adventures company, with direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne, design by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Paul Groothuis and new orchestrations of the Prokofiev score by Terry Davies, played live by the New Adventures Orchestra conducted by Brett Morris.

ROH Live – Don Pasquale
Thursday 24th October, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

Don Pasquale, a wealthy old bachelor, is outraged when he hears his nephew Ernesto intends to marry the impoverished widow Norina. He determines to marry himself and disinherit Ernesto. Ernesto and Norina despair, but their friend Doctor Malatesta promises to help them – and teach Pasquale a lesson. Malatesta persuades Norina to disguise herself as his sister, then presents her to Don Pasquale as a potential bride. Pasquale is so delighted with the young woman’s docile behaviour that he demands they marry at once.

The marriage takes place – witnessed by a fake notary – after which the young bride becomes utterly overbearing and unpleasant, tormenting her ‘husband’. When Pasquale discovers a note from his ‘wife’ arranging a rendezvous with a lover, he determines to confront her and end his misery. The conspirators are now set to reveal their trickery, but will Don Pasquale forgive them?

Royal Opera favourite Bryn Terfel heads the cast for this new production of Donizetti’s comedy of domestic drama across two generations. The witty story of a middle-aged man whose supposed young wife runs rings around him – with her own ulterior romantic purpose in mind – has long delighted and surprised audiences, not least as presented with the sparkle of its music and the virtuoso skill of its performers. Damiano Michieletto’s exhilarating production shows how contemporary the characters still are and how immediate and touching the story remains.

Met Opera Live – Manon
Saturday 26th October, 7.30pm Click for tickets here

Lisette Oropesa stars as the irresistible title character, the tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life, in Laurent Pelly’s revealing production. Michael Fabiano is the besotted Chevalier des Grieux, whose desperate love for Manon proves their undoing.

A take on the quintessentially French tale of the beautiful young woman who is incapable of forsaking both love and luxury, Massenet’s Manon features one of the truly unforgettable, irresistible, and archetypal female characters in opera. While the story is firmly set in class and gender issues of the past, the character of Manon herself is timeless, convincing, and familiar. The opera has been a success ever since its premiere, championed by a diverse roster of singers who have cherished its dramatic opportunities, exalted style, and ravishing music.

Length: 242 mins

Coppersmith & Abacus in Concert
Saturday 2nd November, 8.00pm Click for tickets here

Coppersmith, consisting of Glenn Koppany and Linda O’Connor, is an Island based, modern folk duo who play all home-crafted songs. They started off playing in folk clubs before moving on to festivals where they have gained a name for themselves playing festivals both on and off the Island.

Last year Glenn won the Watford Folk Club Song Writing Competition with a song called “Mary Gonna Marry a Silkie Boy”, based on the Scottish myths of the Selkies, people who can take the form of either humans or seals. Moving and uplifting with honest lyrics and beautiful harmonies, these are songs you will remember.

Abacus, is a duo that performs Transatlantic Roots, Bluegrass, Old Time, Country, Irish, Contemporary and Folk music. We have been playing together for several years now although we have known each other and appreciated each other’s music for many years.

We are based in Worcestershire and we have played at many folk clubs and events in and around our area, on the Isle of Wight and in the Midlands. We have played support to quite a few artists, including the very popular Jaywalkers, Vin Garbutt, Reg Meuross and Dave Gibb, as well as appearing in our own right. We have played at the Stotfold Mill Steam Festival, Isle of Wight Steam festival, and have done spots at the Moira furnace folk festival, Conwy bluegrass festival and Didmarton bluegrass festival, Kinver music festival, Cookley Beer festival, Wolverton Folk and Blues Festival, Dumbleton Country Music Club etc. etc.

ROH Ballet Live – Concerto/ Enigma Variations / Raymonda Act III
Tuesday 5th November, 7.00pm Click for Tickets here

From The Royal Ballet’s classical origins in the works of Petipa, to the home-grown choreographers who put British ballet on the world stage, this mixed programme highlights the versatility of the Company. Petipa’s Raymonda Act III is Russian classical ballet summarized in one act, full of sparkle and precise technique, while Ashton’s Enigma Variations is quintessentially British in every way – from its score by Elgar and period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman, to Ashton’s signature style, the essence of British ballet. Concerto, MacMillan’s fusion of classical technique with a contemporary mind, completes a programme that shows the breadth of the Company’s heritage.

NT Live – Hansard
Thursday 7th November, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

Hansard; noun
The official report of all parliamentary debates.

See two-time Olivier Award winners, Lindsay Duncan (Birdman, About Time) and Alex Jennings (The Lady in the Van, The Queen), in this brand-new play by Simon Wood, broadcast live from the National Theatre in London.

It’s a summer’s morning in 1988 and Tory politician Robin Hesketh has returned home to the idyllic Cotswold house he shares with his wife of 30 years, Diana. But all is not as blissful as it seems. Diana has a stinking hangover, a fox is destroying the garden, and secrets are being dug up all over the place. As the day draws on, what starts as gentle ribbing and the familiar rhythms of marital scrapping quickly turns to blood-sport.

Don’t miss this witty and devastating portrait of the governing class, directed by Simon Godwin (NT Live: Antony & Cleopatra, Twelfth Night) and part of National Theatre Live’s 10^th birthday season.

Opera, live from the Met – Madama Butterfly
Saturday 8th November, Click for tickets here

Soprano Hui He takes on the heartbreaking title role of the doomed geisha, with tenor Andrea Carè as the American naval officer who abandons her.

Paulo Szot is Sharpless, alongside Elizabeth DeShong as Suzuki, and Pier Giorgio Morandi is on the podium for Anthony Minghella’s sweeping production, a perennial audience favorite. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to more than 2,200 theaters in more than 70 countries worldwide.

42nd Street at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Sunday 10th November 5.00pm
Thursday 14th November, 7.00pm
Click here for tickets

Watch the trailer here

42nd Street, the legendary Broadway musical theatre classic, is a ‘glorious’ (★★★★★ Express) and ‘utterly moreish extravaganza of glitz’ (★★★★★ Times). Telling the story of Peggy Sawyer, a talented young performer with stars in her eyes who gets her big break on Broadway, this is the largest ever staging of the Tony® Award-winning musical and it was filmed live at the magnificent Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in the heart of London’s West End.

Fresh off the bus from small-town America Peggy is just another face in the chorus line on Broadway’s newest show. But when the leading lady gets injured, Peggy might just have the shot at stardom she’s always dreamed of… Directed by the show author, Mark Bramble, this ‘achingly beautiful revival of an American classic’ (★★★★★ Telegraph) stars national treasure Bonnie Langford as Dorothy Brock, Tom Lister as Julian Marsh, Clare Halse as Peggy Sawyer and Philip Bertioli as Billy Lawlor, performing with a dazzling tap-dancing and show-stopping ensemble cast. Featuring iconic songs 42nd Street, We’re In The Money, Lullaby Of Broadway, Shuffle Off To Buffalo, Dames and I Only Have Eyes For You, this is pure musical magic on the big screen – entertainment doesn’t get bigger than this!

Opera, live from the Met – Akhnaten
Saturday 23rd November, 5.30pm Click for tickets here

Phelim McDermott, whose productions include the hugely successful Satyagraha by Philip Glass, returns to the Met with a new staging of Glass’s Akhnaten, conducted by Karen Kamensek in her Met debut. Anthony Roth Costanzo sings the title role of the Egyptian pharaoh who attempted to inspire his people to adopt a new religion, abandoning the worship of the old gods for that of a single deity. In her Met debut, J’Nai Bridges sings the role of Nefertiti, Akhnaten’s bride, and Dísella Lárusdóttir is Queen Tye, the pharaoh’s mother. One of the staging’s distinctive visual features is provided by the Gandini Juggling Company, whose movements are perfectly choreographed with the orchestral score. This production of Akhnaten was originally created by LA Opera, Improbable, and English National Opera, where it premiered, winning the 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production.

NT Live – Present Laughter
Thursday 28th November, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

Matthew Warchus directs Andrew Scott (BBC’s Sherlock, Fleabag’s ‘Hot Priest’) in Noël Coward’s provocative comedy Present Laughter.

As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, star actor Garry Essendine’s colourful life is in danger of spiralling out of control. Engulfed by an escalating identity crisis as his many and various relationships compete for his attention, Garry’s few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching.

Captured live from The Old Vic in London, Present Laughter is a giddy and surprisingly modern reflection on fame, desire and loneliness.

Bernard Hoskin in Concert
Friday 29th November, 8.00pm Click for tickets here

Bernard Hoskin is a songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist from Cambridge whose distinctive and original sound is based upon English songwriting and world music rhythms as well as the more common folk, country and blues styles. An experienced performer, he accompanies himself on guitar and mandola playing a mixture of original and traditional songs and covers. He has produced twelve CDs.

He has opened up for many of the big names of the folk scene including Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy, Harvey Andrews, John Renbourn and Jacqui McShee, Clive Gregson, Andy Irvine, Phil Beer, Colvin Quarmby, Johnny Dickinson, Pete Atkin, June Tabor and the Oysterband, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Megson, Gigspanner, Henry Priestman, Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar, Carrivick Sisters, O’Hooley & Tidow, Tim Edey, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Blazin’ Fiddles, Wild Willy Barrett, Steve Tilston, Heidi Talbot.

Beverley Folk Club

www.bernardhoskin.com

ROH Ballet Live – COPPÉLIA
Tuesday 10th December, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

Toy maker Dr Coppélius seems to have a beautiful young woman in his house: Coppélia, who sits and reads on his balcony. Franz and his fellow young villagers are curious about her and how she ignores them all. Franz’s fiancée Swanilda is not pleased by Franz’s interest in another woman, but equally curious. When Dr Coppélius goes to the local tavern, the young villagers slip into his house to introduce themselves to the strangely silent young woman.

In the house, they are astonished by several mechanical dolls, including Coppélia. Coppélius returns and throws them all out – except Swanilda, who hides and takes Coppélia’s place. When Franz climbs in through a window, Coppélius drugs him and attempts through magic to put his lifeforce into the mechanical Coppélia. Swanilda is able to trick him into believing his spell has worked. In the inevitable happy ending, Coppélius is placated, and Swanilda happily united with Franz as the villagers celebrate their new town bell.

A classic returns to the Royal Ballet repertory with Ninette de Valois’ charming and funny Coppélia – a story of love, mischief and mechanical dolls. The intricate choreography is set to Delibes’ delightful score and shows off the technical precision and comedic timing of the whole Company. Osbert Lancaster’s designs bring a colourful storybook world to life in this Christmas treat for the whole family.

Thomas Cameron – A Tenor for Christmas
Friday 13th December, 8.00pm Click for tickets here

Join Thomas Cameron and his pianist Kate Robey at the stylish Ventnor Arts Club for a Christmas themed show. Hear him perform the well loved Christmas hits, as well as some much loved Musical Theatre and classical numbers.

After recording his first album in 2018, Thomas successfully secured a ten date summer tour across the United Kingdom and Ireland at an array of different festivals.

One of the highlights of this summer tour, included two

appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he performed at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre and Stockbridge Church, two of the finest venues in Edinburgh.

Thomas Cameron was nominated for a Classical Brit Award at the 2018 ceremony held at The Royal Albert Hall. He was entered in to the ‘Sound of Classical Poll’ category, shining a light on the future of classical music.

On 12th July 2018, the first single ‘Bring Him Home’ from Thomas Cameron’s debut album ‘The Voice of Thomas Cameron’ was launched at Buckland House to a sold out audience.​

In June 2018, Thomas Cameron made his debut appearance on BBC Radio, appearing on BBC Radio Devon on 16th June and premiering his debut single ‘Bring Him Home’. The following month, Thomas made his debut television appearance on BBC One, being interviewed on BBC Spotlight about his career to date and his first single ‘Bring Him Home’.

ROH Live (encore) – The Nutcracker
Tuesday 17th December, 7.00pm Click for tickets here

Recorded in 2016, this special performance celebrated Peter Wright’s 90th birthday, and will be broadcast with new features. Clara is given an enchanted Nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. As midnight strikes, she creeps downstairs to find a magical adventure awaiting her and her Nutcracker.

The magician Drosselmeyer transforms the drawing room for a battle between mice and toy soldiers. During the battle, Clara saves the Nutcracker’s life – so breaking a magical spell that turned him from a boy to a toy – and the Mouse King is defeated. In celebration, Drosselmeyer sweeps Clara and the Nutcracker off to the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and take part in a wonderful display of dances. The next morning, Clara’s adventures seem to have been more than just a dream.

Peter Wright’s interpretation of The Nutcracker has been enchanting children and adults alike since its first performance by The Royal Ballet in 1984. Lev Ivanov’s 1892 ballet combined with Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous, iconic score are presented in a festive period setting with vivid designs to make this a charming and magical production.

Paul Armfield & Quatrapuntal in Concert
Saturday 21^st December, 8.00pm Click for tickets here

A rare opportunity to hear two hugely talented acts for the price of one! Both bring something very different, but equally special, to the table:

Big, burly and bearded he may be but there’s nothing brusque or ham-fisted about Paul Armfield. His songs, like his persona, are warm and engaging with a lovely lyrical twist framed by catchy melodies and a gentle musicianship of the highest order. Equipped with a voice that could make the Needles crumble, Caitlin Moran describes his music as ‘warm and toasty as Christmas morning’ and his songs have been admired by such songwriting heavyweights as Guy Garvey and Chris Difford. Owing as much to the French chansonniers as he does English balladeers and American troubadours, with just an acoustic guitar Paul can enchant even the rowdiest of crowds with his golden voice and commanding stage presence, and if that doesn’t work his virtuosic saw playing will. After three years spent managing Quay Arts he is now back to a busy and creative schedule of solo and collaborative musical and artistic projects.

Quatrapuntal is based around composer and mandora/Portuguese guitar player Chris Hirst and soprano Polly Green. Both classically trained, their intricate and overwhelmingly beautiful sound is unique and impossible to pigeon hole, an organic fusion of many diverse genres. All eras of the classical tradition are seamlessly combined with various other elements, notably Portuguese and Neapolitan traditional music, but also influences from film music, musicals, British folk, Brazilian music, some popular songs and even thrash metal! Quatrapuntal sound like no-one else, and the unique blend of styles and instruments has been very well received by live audiences, the online community and the press since the group’s initial launch in 2018. This year they have been busy recording their debut album, and rarely play live so don’t miss this opportunity to see them at close quarters!

Berliner Philharmoniker Live – New Year’s Eve Concert
Tuesday 31st Decemeber, 4.00pm Click for tickets hereFor the first time, the new chief conductor Kirill Petrenko will be at the helm for the Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve concert – which at the same time reveals a new, vibrant facet to Petrenko’s repertoire. While German and Russian composers have been the main focus of his previous Philharmoniker concerts, this evening’s programme takes us on a musical journey to the USA: with dances from Bernstein’s West Side Story and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. The concert also features the star soprano Diana Damrau in songs from musicals by Frederick Loewe.

George Gershwin – An American in Paris

Leonard Bernstein – Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Works by Cole Porter, Frederick Loewe and Kurt Weill

Timing: 4.00pm – 6.00pm – subject to variation as it is live but likely to be very slight as It is from Germany.