Timothée Chalamet’s recent comments about ballet and opera in an interview with Matthew McConaughey have caused quite a stir. Marty Supreme’s frontman and Kylie Jenner’s other half recently said that “no one cares” about the art forms—and the backlash has been nothing short of spectacular. Alongside NYC’s Metropolitan Opera and the Seattle Opera, The Royal Opera House in London has officially weighed in with a classy comeback. Here’s what the prestigious London venue said on Instagram:
“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. ✨” – The Royal Opera House, London
What did Timothée Chalamet actually say about ballet and opera?
The controversy comes from a recent sit-down interview with fellow Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey for Variety and CNN. Here’s what the Wonka star had to say:
“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.’ All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there.”
Ballet in London: the best upcoming shows for those who do care
Royal Ballet: Giselle at the Royal Opera House
Ballet in London is all the rage. This season, Peter Wright’s atmospheric and bewitching production Giselle comes to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. In this classic ballet story, peasant girl Giselle discovers her lover is actually a nobleman promised to another—and the outcome unfolds in pure drama and tragedy.
📅10-20 March
📍Address: Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD
Ballet of Lights: Cinderella at Shaw Theatre
Ballet of Lights: Cinderella reimagines the evil stepsisters’ antics, the lavish ball and Cinderella’s romance with the Prince with an innovative twist. Wearing luminous costumes fitted with fibre-optic lights, talented ballerinas sparkle across the stage London’s Shaw Theatre.
📅29 March, 5 April
📍Address: 100-110 Euston Road, Kings Road, NW12AJ
Royal Ballet: Mayerling at the Royal Opera House
Kenneth MacMillan’s intense drama follows the real-life 1889 Mayerling incident across three acts. Tormented by inner demons and political pressure, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his lover Baroness Mary Vetsera perish at the Mayerling hunting lodge.
📅30 March–18 May
📍Address: Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD
Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty at Shaw Theatre
Ballet of Lights reawakens the tale of the cursed princess and her kiss that brings her to life with glittering pirouettes, gravity-defying leaps and a kaleidoscope of colours illuminated by glow-in-the-dark costumes.
📅26 April, 5 June
📍Address: 100-110 Euston Road, Kings Road, NW12AJ
Opera in London: the best upcoming shows for those who do care
Ellen Kent: The Farewell Tour – Carmen at Richmond Theatre
Bizet’s fiery tale of passion, jealousy and fate follows gypsy Carmen’s seductive downfall with the soldier Don José, packed with iconic arias like Habanera. This highly anticipated opera show in London features performances by international soloists Mariia Davydova (mezzo-soprano), Elena Dee (soprano) and Viktoria Melnyk (soprano).
📅22 April
📍Address: The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ
Royal Opera: Peter Grimes at the Royal Opera House
Peter Grimes, a fisherman in a tight-knit coastal village, faces accusations of abusing his apprentice, who perished mysteriously at sea. Themes of isolation, guilt and madness come alive on stage through Britten’s raw score, brooding orchestration and gripping vocal intensity.
📅5–25 May
📍Address: Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD
