Performance on Screen: The best operas, ballets and plays performed by internationally renowned companies. 

Dangerous desires and family secrets twist through every moment of Mayerling, the classic ballet based on the life and death of Crown Prince Rudolf, the psychologically tormented heir to the Habsburg Empire. With one of the most demanding roles ever created for a male dancer, Kenneth MacMillan has choreographed a complex work full of impressive ensemble moments and solos of distinctive character. Beautifully staged by London's Royal Ballet, this story, which contrasts the glamour of the Austro-Hungarian court with undercurrents of sexual and political intrigue, proves that sometimes the truth is more scandalous than fiction.