"Empire Cinemas is proud to announce a compelling March line-up of arts and live performance screenings available nationwide through its Empire Extra programme. From musical theatre to opera, comedy and ballet, Empire Cinemas invites enthusiasts to enjoy screenings of their favourite productions in the comfort of their local cinema at a fraction of the theatre ticket price. Some showings will even be screened live simultaneously, with the action taking place on stage, meaning cinema-goers needn’t miss a moment," said a spokesperson.
"Straight to the big screen on 4th March is Royal Shakespeare Company LIVE 2015 – Love’s Labour’s Won. Set in autumn 1918, Christopher Luscombe directs the second of Shakespeare’s matching pair of comedies that rejoice in our capacity to find love in the most unlikely places. Better known as Much Ado About Nothing, the play is performed under the title Love’s Labour’s Won, a name believed to have been given to it during Shakespeare’s lifetime.
"The tragic and resonant tale English National Opera: La Traviata (Live) will be screened on 11th March. La Traviata tells the moving story of how the beautiful but fragile courtesan Violetta is coerced into sacrificing her one hope of personal happiness for the sake of her lover’s reputation. Making her UK debut as Violetta is soprano Elizabeth Zharoff, who stars alongside ENO Artist Ben Johnson as Alfredo and acclaimed baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore as Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont.
"National Theatre Live: Behind the Beautiful Forevers, starring Meera Syal (The Kumars, Goodness Gracious Me) and directed by Rufus Norris (Broken, London Road), comes to Empire Cinemas on 12th March. Fashioned on Pulizter Prize-winner Katherine Boo’s uncompromising book, David Hare’s epic play looks beyond the luxury hotels surrounding Mumbai airport, where lies a makeshift slum, full of people with plans of their own…
"Screening at Empire Cinemas on 17th March is Royal Opera House: Swan Lake (Live). Surely the greatest of all romantic ballets, Swan Lake is the captivating story of a beautiful woman transformed into a swan, and a heart-rending tribute to the power of love. Though Tchaikovsky did not live to see it become a success, his first ballet score is now synonymous with ballet itself, inspiring generations of dancers and crossing over into popular culture.
"Hitting the big screen on 23rd March is Maxine Peake as Hamlet (Royal Exchange Manchester 2014). Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most iconic work. The play explodes with big ideas and is the ultimate story of loyalty, love, betrayal, murder and madness. This groundbreaking stage production, directed by Sarah Frankcom, was the Royal Exchange’s fastest-selling show in a decade. Alongside Maxine Peake as the eponymous prince, a number of other roles, including Polonious and Rosencrantz, are also played by women.
"Starring the talented Mark Strong (The Imitation Game; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), National Theatre Live: A View from the Bridge, the Evening Standard, Guardian and Independent’s top theatre pick of 2014, screens on 26th March. The great Arthur Miller confronts the American dream in this dark and passionate tale. In Brooklyn, longshoreman Eddie Carbone welcomes his Sicilian cousins to the land of freedom. But when one of them falls for his beautiful niece, they discover that freedom comes at a price."