Riot at the Rite (TV)

Adam Garcia (On The Town, Coyote Ugly, Saturday Night Fever: The Musical) stars as Vaslav Nijinsky, arguably the greatest male ballet dancer of all time, in Riot At The Rite -a single drama for BBC TWO about one of the most notorious premieres ever staged – Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring. Theatre luminary Alex Jennings is to star as the great Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev, founder of the Ballet Russe, for whom Nijinsky worked as a pioneering choreographer as well as dancer. They were also lovers. Aidan McArdle (Dudley Moore in Not Only, But Always) stars as Igor Stravinsky, the musical genius who made his name after writing the ballet's score. Rachael Stirling (Tipping The Velvet) plays Marie Rambert, Nijinsky's dance assistant, who later founded the renowned Ballet Rambert; and Emma Pierson (Nell Gwynne in Charles II - The Power and the Passion) stars as Romola, with whom Nijinsky falls in love. Griff Rhys Jones will also be starring as Astruc, the owner of the Theatre Champs Elysees where the premiere was staged, and who was bankrupted after the event. The ballet broke all the rules, as did the music, and all hell broke loose in the auditorium. Sides were taken as to whether this was the greatest ballet ever performed or just a piece of drivel. Scuffles broke out, punches were thrown. It was the most scandalous bun-fight in the history of the arts. Music and dance were never to be the same again. Riot At The Rite, written by Kevin Elyot (My Night With Reg, 20,000 Streets Under The Sky, Miss Marple, Poirot), charts the preparations for the ballet in the weeks leading up to its premiere, and the ensuing riot that erupted during the performance. The premiere night of The Rite Of Spring was a seminal event in arts circles at the time of its debut in Paris in May 1913. The audience comprised a literal 'Who's Who' of the arts world at the time – including Picasso, Proust, Cocteau, Gertrude Stein, Ravel and Debussy. Laura Mackie, BBC Head of Drama Series and Serials, says: "Following our successful collaboration on Eroica, I'm delighted that Drama and Classical Music are teaming up on another highly original and surprising venture. Executive Producer and BBC Head of Dance, Ross MacGibbon, adds: "A thrilling new recording of Stravinsky's powerful score with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vanska - and the Finnish National Ballet with special guest star Zenaida Yanowsky, a prima ballerina with The Royal Ballet, taking the ballet's central role - makes for a potent blend in a drama. The Finnish National Ballet and Zenaida Yanowsky will perform the ballet in its entirety for the drama. Executive producers are Peter Maniura (BBC Head of Classical Music), Hilary Salmon (Executive Producer BBC Drama Serials) and Ross MacGibbon (BBC Head of Dance). Riot At The Rite is directed by Andy Wilson (Gormenghast, The Forsyte Saga, Miss Marple, Poirot, Cracker, Lenny Blue) and produced by David Snodin (Passer By, Crime and Punishment, Real Men, Great Expectations, Holding On). Riot At The Rite is part of a broad portfolio of projects including The Virgin Queen, Shakespeare, Bleak House and Waking The Dead from BBC Drama Series and Serials, headed by Laura Mackie.