Every other week another new movie arrives at the cinemas and you cannot wait to see the latest movie which hopefully will end up on your list of favourites. Before cinemas were built, people went to theatres to get entertained. Nowadays, most of the plays at your local theatre may not be of interest to you and if you are, well, the most exciting ones tend to be either on Broadway in New York or West End in London, so unfortunately for many, they’re not nearby for a quick visit.
However, meet National Theatre Live. National Theatre Live was founded 10 years ago and aired its first play “Phèdre” starring Helen Mirren in June 2009. Thanks to NTLive, you can now enjoy your favourite actresses and actors not only in their latest movie, but also see them in a play on-stage all without boarding a plane.
Since 2009, numerous plays have been shown around the world from book adaptations to the retelling of well-known plays such as Shakespeare’s. Over the years, NTLive has brought the following productions to life with various well-known actors:
- King Lear by William Shakespeare starring Ian McKellan
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare starring Benedict Cumberbatch
- Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
- Coriolanus by William Shakespeare starring Tom Hiddleston
- Two Gentleman’s of Verona by William Shakespeare
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller
- No Man’s Land starring Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart
- Saint Joan starring Gemma Arterton
- The Audience by Peter Morgan starring Helen Mirren
- Angels in America Part One and Two by Tony Kushner starring Andrew Garfield, Denise Gough, Nathan Lane, James McArdle and Russell Tovey
- One Man, Two Guvnors starring James Corden
- War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
- All About Eve based on the same movie and stars Gillian Anderson and Lily James
With NTLive, within seconds you are in London watching a play with thousands of people around the world with your champagne in one hand and your popcorn in the other. If you are not able to attend a live broadcast, there is always the chance of an encore screening, but be aware that encores do not always occur.
You can easily scroll through the NTLive website and look up which plays are coming and if they will be shown in a cinema near you. You can have a look at the cast, what the play is about, and have a look at some behind-the-scene videos. For more information, you can subscribe to NTLive’s newsletter or create an account to get updates.
