Elizabeth, Royal Ballet: Linbury Studio ★★★★★

A fusion of dance, music and theatre, Elizabeth follows the turbulent personal and political life of the Tudor monarch through the lens of the men she loved, and who loved, supported and betrayed her.

Inspired by Elizabeth’s own personal writings, choreographer Will Tuckett and playwright and librettist Alasdair Middleton created this opulent piece in 2013 for The Royal Ballet. Presented as an intimate gala performance in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich – birthplace of the powerful queen herself – the evening proved a right royal success.

Elizabeth opens for its first ever run at the Linbury Studio in January 2016. The show is the final precious jewel in its crown for the Royal Ballet winter season – once the curtain comes down on Elizabeth the performance space closes for major refurbishment.

While the script draws on Elizabeth’s own words, it also reflects those of her contemporaries, including Sir Walter Raleigh; François, Duc d’Anjou; and Robert Devereux.

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in the Royal Ballet's upcoming programme:
Royal Ballet winter season 2016

All the dance and drama is set to an atmospheric score by Martin Yates. Written for cello and baritone in a modern re-imagining of a typical Tudor period ensemble, it has been devised to reproduce the structures and harmonies found in the music of great Elizabethan composers. Yates’ inspiration comes from the likes of John Dowland, Thomas Tallis and Thomas Morley.

Royal Ballet Principal Zenaida Yanowsky and award-winning actress Lindsay Duncan both star as Elizabeth, with Principal Guest Artist Carlos Acosta dancing the roles of her lovers.

Balletomanes will need little persuasion to see dance royalty Carlos Acosta and Zenaida Yanowsky take to the stage in roles especially created for them.

On a topical note, Elizabeth has in fact been recommissioned as part of the Shakespeare400 celebrations coordinated by the London Shakespeare Centre and Culture at King's College London. So dance fans can indulge their passion as part of a collective appreciation of culture in a wider sense – all the better!