NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Donizetti's L'ELISIR D'AMORE in Cobb Cinemas: Feb. 13

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Feb 9 /PRNewswire/ -- In cinemas Saturday, February 13th, opera fans will be treated to the second intoxicating production in High Definition from Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Donizetti's L'ELISIR D'AMORE will be presented at Cobb Theatres Jupiter 18, in Jupiter, FL, and CineBistro @ Hyde Park Village in Tampa, FL. Distributed worldwide by DigiScreen, the highly acclaimed production appears on select US screens as part of an ongoing cinema series from the world's great stages presented by The Royal Opera House's Opus Arte.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081124/NY48222LOGO )

Director Annabel Arden has created a huge hit for Glyndebourne with her irresistible production of L'elisir d'amore. Set in an idyllic vision of a southern Italian village square, Donizetti's delightful opera tells of the romantic rivalry between the penniless Nemorino (Peter Auty) and the bumptious Sergeant Belcore (Massimo Cavaletti) for the love of the beautiful, bookish Adina (Adriana Kucerova), whose reading of the tale of Tristan and Isolde makes poor lovesick Nemorino think that the wonder-working Dr. Dulcamara might have just the potion his heart requires.

Witty, charming and ultimately deeply touching, this is Italian opera at its intoxicating best. The score bubbles over with high spirits, the action is genuinely funny and though, as in all the best comedies, the laughter is occasionally tinged with tears, true love eventually wins the day -- all thanks to a bottle or two of Bordeaux. No wonder L'elisir d'amore has long been among Donizetti's most popular works.

L'elisir d'amore was captured before a live audience at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in August 2009. Glyndebourne's trademark has long been exquisitely detailed productions richly developed by an extensive rehearsal process that focuses on the ensemble. Since the 1930's, the popular annual opera festival has flourished, residing in the grand English country house Glyndebourne near Lewes, in East Sussex.

For cinema locations and to purchase advance tickets visit www.digiscreen.ca

or go to http://www.cobbtheatres.com/jupiter18.aspx or http://www.cobbcinebistro.com/hyde-reserv.aspx for dates and times.

About Cobb Theatres

Cobb Theatres is a progressive motion picture exhibition company based in Birmingham, Ala. Cobb Theatres currently owns & operates 193 screens at 14 locations in the Southeastern United States. CineBistro is the newest cinema dining concept from Cobb Theatres. It brings the best of the movie theatre and restaurant dining worlds together into a single, ultra-luxury experience. In-theatre fine dining from a Chef-created innovative American Bistro menu accompanied by full premium bar offerings are served to guests while watching a critically acclaimed new, independent or art films. State-of-the-art digital video and audio movie-viewing is enjoyed while sitting in over-sized leather seats designed with individual dining tables. Like no other movie and a dinner experience in existence today. For more information please visit: www.cobbtheatres.com for CineBistro visit: www.cobbcinebistro.com.

About Glyndebourne Festival Opera

www.glyndebourne.com

The curtain rose on the first performance of the Opera Festival at Glyndebourne on 28th May, 1934. It was the culmination of one man's obsession with the idea of presenting 'not the best we can do, but the best that can be done anywhere'. The words are John Christie's, owner of the estate at Glyndebourne, which he had inherited in 1920. He 'felt that it [opera] was almost non existent...in England, so we ought to begin to bring it here'. He designed the theatre to hold 300 people, a reasonable orchestra pit and a stage furnished with the most modern technical and lighting equipment. He eventually found the men that he wanted for his opera house -- conductor Fritz Busch from Dresden and producer Carl Ebert from Berlin who had left Germany because they could not work under the Hitler regime. The first season lasted for two weeks, with six performances of Le nozze di Figaro and six of Cosi fan tutte. The first performance of Figaro was unlike anything that the audience had experienced before, and whatever their reason for coming, an audience which had certainly arrived in a mood of scepticism returned knowing that it had enjoyed a unique experience. It was not only that they had enjoyed a good dinner during the long interval and a walk in a garden surrounded by beautiful downland scenery, but they had witnessed the creation of an entirely new standard of operatic performance. It was a standard achieved by endless rehearsal and by attention to detail -- in the orchestra, the singing, the acting, the scenery and costumes. There were no star names among the singers; the secret of the success of the first Glyndebourne performances was the quality of the ensemble, which was built on the principle of choosing the best singers for the parts, no matter where they came from. These remain the trademarks of Glyndebourne to this day. Glyndebourne Festival Opera is a cherished international institution.

About DigiScreen

www.digiscreen.ca

DigiScreen is a digital network assembled for the distribution and presentation of alternative content. The network was launched in 2007 through an exclusive alliance with Opus Arte and the Royal Opera House of London. Through this and other collaborations, DigiScreen presents productions from some of the world's most prestigious performing arts companies on screens in cinemas. Along with showcasing world class operas and ballets, DigiScreen has recently added special presentations of theatre from the London's West End and concerts from the worlds of pop, rock and jazz. These productions are captured live, in High Definition, from locations such as Covent Garden (London), Palais Garnier (Paris), Teatro Real (Madrid), Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (London), Jazz at Lincoln Centre (New York) and other great stages of the world. DigiScreen and its partners present to audiences in more than 300 cinemas across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan and Australia. Presentations in South Africa, South America and other territories are starting shortly.

About Opus Arte

www.opusarte.com

Opus Arte, owned by the Royal Opera House, has been recording in High Definition for the past decade and has amassed a substantial catalogue of outstanding productions from around the world. Opus Arte led the way by being the first company to release a Classical HD-DVD, and also the first to release a Classical Blu-ray disc into the world market. Working closely with top organizations such as the BBC and TVE, Opus Arte has enabled a large number of people to share the magic of seeing an opera or ballet live. Partnerships with the world's top opera houses has enabled Opus Arte to capture some of the most magnificent productions ever experienced on DVD for people to enjoy over again.

SOURCE Cobb Theatres