The Nutcracker live from the Bolshoi Theatre

The Eden Cinemas will be showing the world’s favourite Christmas ballet – The Nutcracker – live from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow via satellite, on Sunday at 5 p.m. This live performance will be exhibited in Cinema 11, Malta’s best equipped theatre for showing such transmissions. The event will feel like an actual theatre performance, despite its setting within a cinema multiplex and is a fantastic alternative to being in Moscow watching this live performance at full rates.

The ballet draws on all the imagination and fantasy of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story of Christmas Eve, when young Clara creeps downstairs for one of her presents, but finds herself instead at the start of a night of magical adventures.

The designs for this now classic production create the real world of the 19th century – even when the Christmas tree magically grows and the toy soldiers come to life to fight the Mouse King! The beautifully coloured imaginings of the fantasy Sugar Garden and its celebratory dances make a fabulous contrast – the Sugar Plum Fairy is just one of the delights you might discover here – and Peter Wright’s production tells the story clearly from its mysterious start to its happy conclusion. Tch­aikovsky’s music is some of the most instantly memorable of all ballet, with a wealth of famous melodies.

This is classical ballet at its most approachable and visually entrancing, with something for everyone to enjoy, from the youngest in the family to the oldest.

Tickets are on sale at €23, including parking on the day, and €10 for under 16s. Patrons attending the ballet will receive a 25 per cent discount on their bill at Eastern Breeze at the InterContinental Malta on the night.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.edencinemas.com.mt