The greatest love story of them all comes to All Saints’ Square this month, courtesy of the BBC Big Screen, in a free ballet performance full of passion, grace, beauty and tragedy, in fair Rotherham, where we lay our scene.

Presented by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Romeo and Juliet, which will be screened on Sunday June 1 from 2.30pm onwards, welcomes back more live entertainment from Covent Garden which last year saw the town centre filled with people wanting to experience the excitement of dance.

Town Centre Manager, Julie Roberts, said: "Last year the free Ballet and Opera events welcomed hundreds of people to the town centre, something we’re hoping replicate this year and there’s no better way to do that than with the best ballet of them all, Romeo and Juliet.

"Many of the people who enjoyed the previous Big Screen events were new to ballet and opera and the feedback we received was wonderful. We’d like everyone to bring their friends and family along to the event and experience the relaxing atmosphere and great spectacle that the Big Screen offers."

Shakespeare’s enduring tragedy is one of the most popular works in the Royal Ballet repertory as well as one of the greatest examples of 20th-century choreography.

Against the background of Renaissance Italy, a chance meeting ignites a profound love between Romeo and Juliet, bringing with it the hope - tragically unfulfilled – that they may unite in peace their opposing families, the Montagues and the Capulets.

The romance and tensions of the story particularly suit the medium of ballet, from the physical bravado of young men, whether sword fighting or out on the town, to the formality of a grand ball and poignant, intimate scenes between the young lovers.

Prokofiev’s musical score is a classic of passion and colour matched perfectly by the beautifully fluid and touching dance interpretation.

Refreshments will on sale at the event, or alternatively people are welcome to bring their own picnics.

Rotherham is the only town in the country to be part of the innovative BBC Big Screen Project and along with Birmingham, Bradford, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, it will benefit from the screenings that are expected to attract audiences of more than 50,000 across the country.

For more details go to www.rotherham.towntalk.co.uk