Thursday 19 December at 6.30 p.m. Cinderella – Disney/Lily James
Friday 20 December at 6.30 p.m. Massenet: Cendrillon

The Royal Ballet production of Cinderella will not be shown on 24 December and has been postponed to Friday 10 January

PIANO TUNING

Please note that Tony McCloskey, the Steinway-trained piano tuner/technician will be in Bulawayo over Christmas and the New Year.

He will be available to tune and service pianos. Bookings should be made through John Barrie who will be co-ordinating Tony’s visit:

E-mail: johnbarrie56@gmail.com Message or whatsapp: 0784 045 694

THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER AT 6.30 P.M. CINDERELLA

Carriages: 8.30 p.m.

After her father unexpectedly dies, young Ella (Lily James) finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, who reduce her to scullery maid. Despite her circumstances, she refuses to despair. An invitation to a palace ball gives Ella hope that she might reunite with the dashing stranger (Richard Madden) she met in the woods, but her stepmother prevents her from going. Help arrives in the form of a kindly beggar woman who has a magic touch for ordinary things.

The story is as enchanting as ever, the handsome cast doesn’t miss a beat, while the costumes and set design are wonders to behold. [Daily Mirror]
Kenneth Branagh’s remake of this much-loved Disney classic is a sumptuous, magical delight. [The Sun]
The familiar story has been put in the hands of director Kenneth Branagh and has been transformed into a magical piece of filmmaking. [Fresh Fiction]
Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter give scene-stealing performances in this old-fashioned fantasy film. [New Musical Express]

Chris Weitz’s screenplay updates the old Charles Perrault yarn in a fresh and witty way. The performances are very lively too. [Independent]
A remarkably faithful, full-hearted live action rendition of Cinderella, well cast and sumptuously staged, picking its way carefully between Walt Disney’s classic musical animation of 1950 and Perrault’s definitive text. [London Evening Standard]
Refreshingly traditional in a revisionist era, Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella proves Disney hasn’t lost any of its old-fashioned magic. [Rotten Tomatoes]
Witty, richly drawn and unashamedly old school, this is a smart adaptation that understands the enduring appeal of its source material, and doesn’t feel the need to subvert or reinvent. [Digital Spy]

Admission: $2.50 [free to Film members]

FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER AT 6.30 P.M. MASSENET: CENDRILLON

Carriages: 9.00 p.m.

Massenet’s Cendrillon was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1899 and its gorgeous score embraces pathos, pastiche, broad humour, subtle eroticism and sheer magic. Neglected for much of the 20th century, this entrancing and often surprising opera has found a firmer place in the repertoire over the past 30 years and, with Joyce DiDonato as Cinderella capturing all hearts – not just Prince Charming’s – Massenet’s enchanting, sophisticated retelling of the classic fairy tale comes in a charming and witty production by Laurent Pelly from Covent Garden.

Bravo to the cast and crew of Cendrillon from the Royal Opera House production! Joyce DiDonato is absolutely wonderful, charming and shows her dramatic artistry when singing the beautiful arias. Her vocal performance left me breathless. [Amazon]
The title role is taken by Joyce DiDonato in a performance teeming with star quality. Massenet’s Cinders doesn’t have the coloratura fireworks that Rossini provides, but DiDonato excels at expressing sincerity, with rapt silver pianissimi aplenty. [International Record Review]
The raison d’être is DiDonato’s touching, vocally ravishing Cendrillon, a piece of casting that gives Massenet’s romantic soufflé the artistic gravitas it needs. [Financial Times]

Vocally, Coote and DiDonato have very different mezzo qualities so that they blend well in duet, while retaining their individual timbres…Bertrand de Billy leads a highly sympathetic reading of the score, revelling in the pomposity of the court dances while conjuring magic in the duets. [International Record Review]
The strong colour of [DiDonato’s] distinctive mezzo comes into its own in this role, her wide-eyed delight at her magical transformation is lovely to see and hear. The chorus are fully signed up to the tongue-in-cheek humour of the piece and de Billy conducts the orchestra with all the lightness of touch that the piece needs. [MusicWeb International]
Laurent Pelly’s suitably magical 2011 production from Covent Garden fields two of today’s greatest lyric mezzos in the lead roles: Joyce DiDonato is the wide-eyed heroine and trouser-role specialist par excellence Alice Coote all brooding intensity as her Prince Charming. Special mention for the indomitable Polish contralto Ewa Podles as the Wicked Stepmother. [Presto Music]