Best Ballet & Opera To See In London This Season, As Recommended By Timothée Chalamet (Sort Of)

The performing arts world has found a champion in the most unlikely of places. When three-time Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet publicly told Matthew McConaughey in February that he had no interest in working in ballet or opera – stating, and we quote, ‘I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, “Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore”‘ – he probably didn’t anticipate the subsequent furor from fans.

But, rather than join the furious chorus of performers and critics who rounded on Chalamet’s tone deafness, Britain’s Royal Ballet and Opera issued a statement to thank him. Taking to Instagram, the RBO wrote: ‘Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera. For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance. If you’d like to reconsider, @tchalamet, our doors are open.’

 

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Speaking to The Times, the organisation’s chief executive Alex Beard reiterated the directness. ‘We simply said “Take a look at what we’re doing, mate – for instance, the fact that the largest portion of our audience by age is 20 to 30-year-olds. And you know what? Our post got 2.5 million engagements and half a million shares, just on Instagram. And our ticket sales got an immediate boost. So cheers, Timmy!’

He was also deliberate about avoiding a ‘hoity-toity’ response, and the numbers suggest the gamble paid off. As it turns out, quite a lot of people care about ballet and opera, they just needed Timothée Chalamet to remind them. In his honour, here is your guide to the finest productions on stage courtesy of London’s Royal Ballet and Opera this year.

What’s On At The Royal Opera House In 2026/27?

Hercules

The Royal Opera

The Royal Opera presents 10 new productions this season, alongside revivals and rarely staged works returning to Covent Garden. From Wagner’s Parsifal (1–17 October 2026), directed by Evgeny Titov in his House debut and conducted by Music Director Jakub Hrůša, to a new staging of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera (30 November–18 December 2026), also conducted by Hrůša and directed by Philipp Stölzl, both are likely to be among the season’s major talking points.

Barrie Kosky’s new Götterdämmerung (21 January–7 February 2027) completes the company’s new Ring cycle, conducted by Antonio Pappano, who will also conduct a new production of Ponchielli’s La Gioconda (29 April–18 May 2027), appearing at Covent Garden for the first time in nearly a century.

Mozart’s Così fan tutte  (10–28 February 2027) receives a new staging by Netia Jones in her Main Stage debut, while Handel’s Hercules (18 June–9 July 2027) makes a reappearance in Covent Garden for the first time since the 18th century in a new production also directed by Kosky.

4.48 Psychosis, Royal Opera House/Lyric Hammersmith.

Elsewhere, the season includes a concert performance pairing Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle with Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (2 April 2027), alongside the first staging of Rameau’s Les Boréades (4–14 March 2027) by The Royal Opera.

Excitingly, the Linbury Theatre programme includes the world premiere of Brett Dean’s Good Sometimes Queen (23–29 January 2027), Philip Venables’ operatic adaptation of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis (17–25 October 2026), and Icelandic composer Anna Thorvalsdottir’s ground-breaking chamber opera UR_.

Audience favourites returning this season include The Magic Flute (13 December 2026–17 February 2027), Don Giovanni (10 September–15 October 2026), Carmen (29 October–21 November 2026), Aida (19 May–12 June 2027) and Madama Butterfly (4–24 July 2027), alongside revivals of Elektra (12–24 July 2027), Alcina (15 September–3 October 2026) and Tosca (12 April–5 May 2027).

The season is helmed by the Director of Opera Oliver Mears, who says the season offers ‘a thrilling range of repertoire: from the first-ever Rameau opera staged at Covent Garden by The Royal Opera to radical contemporary masterpieces to Barrie Kosky’s highly anticipated Götterdämmerung.’

Lukas B. Brændsrød and Lauren Cuthbertson, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot’s So Are We. (The Royal Ballet © 2025 Lola Mansell)

The Royal Ballet

The Royal Ballet’s 2026-27 season combines 19th century classics with 20th century masterworks and modern choreography, marking key anniversaries within the company. Opening the season is Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon (13 October–25 ovember 2026), returning one of the company’s significant dramatic ballets to the stage, followed by Visionaries: Robbins and MacMillan (9–28 November 2026), pairing MacMillan’s Song of the Earth with Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering.

The season also celebrates Frederick Ashton in Landmarks: Unmissable Ashton (25 January–19 March 2027): cue Les Rendezvous, Symphonic Variations and Daphnis and Chloë, offering a rare opportunity to hear the Royal Opera Chorus perform alongside the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Ravel’s full, wonderful orchestration.

The Nutcracker

Of course, it’s not Christmas without Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker and it’ll return during the festive season (3 December 2026–13 January 2027) in his centenary year, while Liam Scarlett’s Swan Lake (27 March–31 May 2027) set to Tchaikovsky’s score and staged with designs by John Macfarlane continues to hold its special place among the company’s best-known productions.

Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor marks 20 years with the company through the revival of Chroma alongside Pam Tanowitz’s Or Forevermore, Joshua Junker’s Never Known, Akram Khan’s Hunting a Whisper in the Wind to form Disruptors: Tanowitz, Junker, Khan, McGregor (6–25 May 2027). Elsewhere McGregor’s large-scale work MADDADDAM (22 February–13 March 2027), inspired by Margaret Atwood’s trilogy, is set to an original score by Max Richter.

The Royal Ballet’s Director Kevin O’Hare says the season presents ‘masterworks that have shaped and defined the Company over the years […] alongside the magical nineteenth-century classics Swan Lake and The Nutcracker that never cease to exert enduring appeal.’

Stay Tuned (Erik Berg)

Linbury Theatre Highlights

The Linbury Theatre is the Royal Opera House’s smaller, black box venue, which offers artistic variety and often a more contemporary programme. In the 2026/27 season that includes The McRae/Vassilev Project (11–20 September 2026) featuring Principal dancer Steven McRae and violinist Vasko Vassilev in a collaboration inspired by Paganini. Other highlights include Madam (3–4 November 2026), a tribute to Royal Ballet founder Ninette de Valois, and the UK debut of Danish company Kammerballetten with Stay Tuned (11–19 December 2026), created by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot.

Pam Tanowitz also returns with Once more, to this star (6–13 February 2027), created in collaboration with Royal Ballet Principal William Bracewell. Guest companies appearing across the season include Ballet Black, Northern Ballet, London City Ballet and ZooNation, whose The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party we’ll see next summer.

The Royal Opera House

Where & When

The Royal Ballet and Opera 2026-27 Season runs from September 2026 to July 2027 at the Royal Opera House (Bow St, London WC2E 9DD).

Tickets start from £7 and go on sale from 24 June 2026, with priority booking available to members ahead of general release.

If you cannot make it in person, nine productions from the season will be broadcast to more than 1,500 cinemas worldwide, including The Nutcracker, Manon, The Magic Flute, Götterdämmerung and Così fan tutte, continuing the Royal Ballet and Opera’s international cinema programme. Some productions will be available to stream via the organisation’s digital platforms.

Mayfair Suite at the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair

Where To Stay Nearby

Making a night of it? Situated in the heart of Covent Garden, there are a whole host of hotels in the immediate vicinity of the Royal Opera House. Luxurious B Corp spot One Aldwych is just around the corner, well placed for pre-theatre dining or a late drink afterwards.

A short walk away in Holborn, Rosewood London offers a grander base within easy reach of the West End’s main stages, while the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair provides a polished Mayfair option.