Cinema audiences around the UK will be treated to The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker on Monday, 3 December 2018, broadcast live from Covent Garden in the heart of London. There will be an encore screening on Sunday, 9 December 2018.

A family favourite, The Nutcracker is based on E.T.A Hoffmann’s beloved Christmas tale. The story follows Clara and the enchanted Nutcracker as they defeat the evil Mouse King and go on a magical journey to the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and an array of other memorable characters. The ballet is set to one of Tchaikovsky’s most ravishing scores, which perfectly captures the spirit of the festive season.

Peter Wright’s production has enchanted audiences since it was first performed by The Royal Ballet in 1984 and continues to be a staple of the Company repertory.

The Royal Opera House cinema broadcasts offer audiences the best seats in the house and include exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews presented by Darcey Bussell and Ore Oduba and incredibly detailed close-ups of performers.

Audiences are never far from a performance at the Royal Opera House, with most UK viewers located within 30 miles of a cinema screening. In 2017/18, more than one million people globally saw a production of world-class opera or ballet from the Royal Opera House at one of more than 1,500 cinemas in 51 countries.

On Monday, 3 December, Royal Ballet Principal Marianela Nuñez will dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, joined by Vadim Muntagirov as her Prince, Anna Rose O’Sullivan as Clara, Marcelino Sambé as Hans Peter (the Nutcracker) and Gary Avis as Drosselmeyer.

The Nutcracker will be broadcast live on Monday, 3 December 2018, at 7.15 pm and lasts approximately two hours and 20 minutes with one interval. The next production in the Live Cinema Season is The Royal Opera’s The Queen of Spades, screened on Tuesday 22 January 2019.

Further details on dates and venues are available here.