THE Bard is back on the big screen courtesy of Weymouth Cineworld and the Regent in Christchurch as part of the new season of live satellite broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

This month is the screening of the brand new production of Gounod’s classic version of Romeo & Juliette, on Saturday, January 21 at 5.55pm.

Vittorio Grigolo and Diana Damrau reunite for this new production of Gounod's opera based on Shakespeare’s most romantic play.

Damrau makes her role debut as Juliette in Bartlett Sher's new production.

Elliot Madore sings Mercutio and Mikhail Petrenko sings Frère Laurent. Sher's staging is a La Scala production for the Metropolitan Opera.

When Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo starred opposite each other in Manon at the Met in 2015, the New York Times said, “the temperature rises nearly to boiling every time Damrau and Grigolo are on stage together.”

Now they’re back as opera’s classic lovers in Gounod’s lush Shakespeare adaptation. The production, by director Bartlett Sher, has already won acclaim for its vivid 18th-century milieu and stunning costumes during runs at Salzburg and La Scala. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the sumptuous score.

Gounod’s version of Romeo & Juliette premiered at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris in 1867 and is an excellent example of French Romanticism, a tradition that values subtlety, sensuality, and graceful vocal delivery over showy effects. In the opera there is a slight shift of focus away from the word games of the original play and a greater focus on the two lovers, who are given four irresistible duets, including a brief final reunion in the tomb scene that does not appear in the original play.

Contact the cinema to book tickets.