Opulent and intimate, this enchanting chamber piece combines dance, text and music in a fascinating exploration of the life and loves of Queen Elizabeth I. Choreographer Will Tuckett and playwright and librettist Alasdair Middleton co-direct this special performance, which brings together Royal Ballet principals Zenaida Yanowsky and Carlos Acosta with actors Laura Caldow, Sonya Cullingford and Julia Righton in an atmospheric and nuanced tribute to the remarkable nature of this extraordinary woman. Martin Yates’s original score recalls the structures and harmonies of Elizabethan music, in a modern reimagining of a typical Tudor-period ensemble, deftly performed by world-renowned cellist Raphael Wallfisch and acclaimed baritone David Kempster.

"A beautifully realised work in every respect and a fitting farewell for Acosta." - The Stage ★★★★

"A first-rate creative team - Tuckett’s choreography plays to the Cuban star’s strengths with lots of swizzling pirouettes and big lifts and the multiple roles allow him to reprise his greatest hits." - The Financial Times ★★★★

"Will Tuckett's latest piece, Elizabeth, is true to form: a polished, period tapestry of dance, music, song and text that looks like nothing else he’s made." - The Guardian ★★★★

"…a polished creation… the piece allows Acosta to take an entertaining final bow from the company with which,
over 17 years, he has achieved so very much." - The Daily Telegraph ★★★★

Recorded live at The Royal Opera House, January 2016

Running time: 93 minutes
Sound format: Dolby stereo / DTS Surround