COPPELIA Combines Ballet with Live Action Dance Comes To Broadwayhd On Christmas Day

BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, is dancing into the holiday season as it brings the cutting-edge and critically acclaimed Coppelia to its platform on December 25.

Starring Boston Ballet soloist Michaela DePrince, also featured in Beyoncé's Lemonade and First Position, Coppelia is a sumptuous cinematic experience combining animation and ballet. Modern and fast paced, the dialogue-free film features a blend of musical influences from classical to electronic, bringing the story of Coppelia to life like never before and delivering the message to viewers that in the age of social media and an increasingly image conscious culture-it's never been more important to be yourself. Coppelia was brought to the platform in partnership with distributor Shout! Factory.

In addition to ballet superstar/author/and inspirational activist, Michaela DePrince, the stellar cast includes principals and soloists Daniel Camargo, Vito Mazzeo, Sasha Mukhamedov, Igone de Jongh, Irek Mukhamedov and Darcey Bussell-dancing together for the first time since their Royal Ballet partnership 20 years ago. This visually opulent fairy tale was inspired by Ted Brandsen's 2008 production for Dutch National Ballet. Brandsen gave Coppelia a contemporary twist, updating Doctor Coppelius from toymaker to cosmetic surgeon and the directing team further rewrote the story for today's young audience.

The innovative family feature combines enchanting animation and live action dance in a modern retelling of the love story between Swan and Franz, jeopardized by Dr. Coppelius and his uncannily beautiful protégée Coppelia. Screen Daily wrote of the film "young audiences should be particularly smitten with [the film's] Disney-esque charms."

With a diverse and world-class cast, this unconventional adaptation of Coppelia sees Dr. Coppelius (Mazzeo) as a cosmetic surgeon, whose lure of superficial beauty poisons the town. Swan (DePrince) must uncover the truth about the popular newcomer who puts her community and the life of her beloved Franz (Daniel Camargo) in danger. She must act to save her sweetheart Franz, before his heart is used to spark life into Coppelia-the "perfect" robot-woman Coppelius has created.

The film's creative team includes the award-winning directing team of Jeff Tudor (Betroffenheit, A Swan Lake, Mata Hari, Cinderella), Steven De Beul, and Ben Tesseur, Emmy-nominated composer Maurizio Malagnini, award-winning choreographer and artistic director of Dutch National Ballet Ted Brandsen, and director of photography Tristan Oliver BSC (Fantastic Mr. Fox, ParaNorman, Loving Vincent).

Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane, co-founders of BroadwayHD, said, "Coppelia is an innovative and beautiful piece of work and we're looking forward to bringing it to our subscribers. It's a wonderfully inspiring film for families to watch together during the holidays."

Coppelia is only the latest acclaimed performance to come to BroadwayHD. BroadwayHD introduces award-winning theater from all across the globe with both classic and modern productions. Fans can expect to see the full works of Shakespeare from the Royal Shakespeare Company, awe-inspiring performances from Cirque du Soleil and a selection of the world's greatest musicals including Kinky Boots, Cats, 42nd Street, She Loves Me, Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I, The Sound of Music, and An American in Paris. All performances are adapted specifically for streaming audiences to maximize the entertainment experience. To learn more about BroadwayHD, visit www.broadwayhd.com.

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