FOLLOWING the success of its NT Live screenings of Medea and A Streetcar Named Desire, The Playhouse Cinema in Leominster is extending its screenings to include ballet and opera, starting on Saturday with live streaming of The Royal Ballet's Manon, Kenneth MacMillan's acclaimed tragic ballet.

Manon Lescaut is a beautful young woman who falls prey to the moral corruption of 18th-century Paris. Kenneth MacMillan brings Manon's story vividly to life with his ballet, which evokes the brutality and decadence described in Abbé Prévost's infamous novel, as well as the feckless character of Manon herself - torn between love for the poet Des Grieux and her desire for money and attention. At the ballet's heart are the duets MacMillan created for Manon and Des Grieux, which are among the most emotionally intense and erotically charged ever choreographed.

On Monday, October 27, there will be a live streaming from the Royal Opera House of Verdi's I Due Foscari, for which Plácido Domingo returns to give his first London performances of another major Verdi baritone role. I due Foscari is based on a play by Byron set in 15th-century Venice. The two Foscari of the title are the city’s Doge, Francesco Foscari (sung by Domingo) and his son, Jacopo (Francesco Meli), who has been brought back from exile to face charges of treason. Jacopo is innocent, but neither the pleas of Jacopo’s wife Lucrezia (Maria Agresta) nor those of his powerful father are enough to save Jacopo from condemnation by the hostile Council of Twelve.

Manon Lescaut and I Due Foscari will also be screened at Ludlow Assembly Rooms (01584 878141). Tickets for The Playhouse Cinema available from Leominster Tourist Information Centre, Corn Square or call 01568 612583.