Press Reviews \"Christopher Wheeldon\'s new three-act version of Shakespeare\'s The Winter\'s Tale is a triumph. It is contemporary and classical, traditional and modern, narrative and abstract. It feels like something entirely new. It is this profound emotional trajectory that Wheeldon catches so brilliantly. He deals with the complexities of the story with great confidence each moment is absolutely clear. But the reason that The Winter\'s Tale makes such a superb ballet is that you can mainline the feeling; the great arc from abject despair to reconciliation is traced in movement that attains its own poetry. \" (The Daily Telegraph ) \"It is to the credit of Christopher Wheeldon that his realisation of The Winter\'s Tale as a three-act spectacle for the Royal Ballet is as well managed as it is. And in everything he is sustained by Joby Talbot\'s vividly responsive score. Absolutely splendid are Bob Crowley\'s designs throughout... The staging is a visual triumph, potent, evocative, eye-delighting.\" (The Financial Times ) \"Christopher Wheeldon\'s striking new version of this Shakespeare piece crams everything you could want from a ballet into a single evening - comedy, tragedy, romance, drama and some lovely dancing. Steven McRae and Sarah Lamb lead the company in flurries of joyful movement in a buoyant Act II, as the plot turns into a hugely enjoyable caper. By the time they\'re in a chase across the high seas, you\'ll be hooked.\" (Evening Standard ) \"\'A game-changer for Wheeldon\' - Christopher Wheeldon rises to the challenge of translating Shakespeare into dance, creating one of most fully achieved story ballets to be staged at Covent Garden in years Yet Christopher Wheeldon has turned these challenges into inspiration. Together with composer Joby Talbot and designer Bob Crowley (whose mix of video, light and set design vividly illuminates the story), Wheeldon has used this play to develop the most expressive and inventive dance language we\'ve yet seen from him. It\'s clear how much attention he has paid to Shakespeare\'s language. In the short prologue that mimes the backstory of Leontes and Polixenes\'s friendship, the image of the sea constantly present as a metaphor for division and redemption is beautifully evoked in the wave formations that sweep through the framing dance. After the chill white marble of the Sicilian court and the angry claustrophobia of its music, the transition to the light- and colour-filled world of Bohemia is exhilarating. On a stage dominated by one magically illuminated, decorated tree, this act is pure dance, a seamless fusion of the folksy and the poetic, in which Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae are adorable pastoral lovers, and Valentino Zucchetti is the wittiest of shepherds.\" (The Guardian ) CastEdward Watson (Leontes)Lauren Cuthbertson (Hermione)Sarah Lamb (Perdita)Zenaida Yanowsky (Paulina)Steven McRae (Florizel)Federico Bonelli (Polixenes)Bennet Gartside (Antigonus)Joe Parker (Mamillius) Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; David BriskinTelevision Director: Ross MacGibbonDesigner: Bob CrowleyChoreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Catalogue Number: OA1156DDate of Performance: 2014Running Time: 119 minutesSound: LPCM ; DTS Master Audio 5.1Aspect Ratio: 16:9 AnamorphicLabel: Opus Arte Review As seen on BBC 4 Christmas Day --Radio Times, Dec\'14 Running Time: 119 minutes Region: All Regions Release Date: 5 Jan. 2015