Maestro advanced screenings at Showroom Cinema

Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling Leonard Bernstein's (Bradley Cooper) lifelong relationship with Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian who many believe to be one of the most important conductors of his time. Arguably most famous for composing the score to West Side Story, Bernstein's influence remains pervasive in the worlds of classical music and musical theatre today.

Bradley Cooper returns to direct, write, produce, and star in this following his debut feature A Star Is Born, the Oscar-winning film that became a cultural sensation and catapulted him into the realm of auteur director. Maestro has two of the film industry’s most influential directors, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, team up here as producers to support Cooper and bring Bernstein’s life to the screen.

The film is shot in many black-and-white sequences as we move through Bernstein’s life, his achievements and greatest works being presented through the lens of his relationship with Felicia, and how that dynamic changed. The story explores his life as a bisexual man in the heteronormativity of twentieth century society, as well as the complex nature of his affairs and their impact on his family and work.

Cooper truly immersed himself in the world of this film, for both his character work as Bernstein and in his directing capacity, and that is evident on the screen. Many bravura long takes (the illusion of an uninterrupted shot) create a sense of urgency and wonder in the film, captivating audiences and providing a truly cinematic experience.

Cooper and Mulligan in the lead roles absolutely shine, each being given many moments in the film where they can captivate the audience. Just like watching Bernstein conduct an orchestra, watching these two acting greats command the screen is utterly engrossing.

For those particularly captivated by Cooper re-enacting some of Bernstein’s most spectacular conducting scenes in Maestro, Showroom will allow people to witness a real-life masterclass in conducting on New Year’s Eve. Chief conductor Kirill Petrenko, an acclaimed interpreter of Wagner, conducts the first act of the opera Walküre at the Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert, broadcast live to cinemas. The programme opens with excerpts from Tannhäuser that showcase the grandeur of Wagner’s great work.

Maestro itself screens at Showroom Cinema from Friday 1 December, a week in advance of most places in the UK. Tickets can be found here: /maestro