National Theatre Live

The incredible Billie Piper (Penny Dreadful, Great Britain) returns in her Evening Standard Best Actress award-winning role.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time returns to selected international cinemas in 2018. Captured live from the National Theatre in London, this critically acclaimed production directed by Marianne Elliot (Angels in America, War Horse) has astonished audiences around the world and has received seven Olivier and five Tony Awards®.

Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, NT Live: A Streetcar Named Desire) and Eric Kofi Abrefa (The Amen Corner) feature in the cast of this brand new production, directed by Carrie Cracknell (NT Live: The Deep Blue Sea) and broadcast live from the National Theatre. This new version of August Strindberg’s play Miss Julie, written by Polly Stenham, remains shocking and fiercely relevant in its new setting of contemporary London.

Broadcast live from London’s West End, see Ian McKellen’s ‘extraordinarily moving portrayal’ (Independent). Chichester Festival Theatre’s production received five-star reviews for its sell-out run. Jonathan Munby directs this contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tender, violent, moving and shocking play.

Frankenstein returns to Cinestudio to mark the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s most famous novel. Captured live in 2011 from the National Theatre stage in London, this thrilling, sold-out production became an international sensation, experienced by almost half a million people around the world.
Directed by Academy Award®-winner Danny Boyle, Frankenstein features Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating between the roles of Victor Frankenstein and his creation.

Filmed live at London’s Bridge Theatre during its limited run, don’t miss Alan Bennett’s sharply hilarious tribute to Britain’s National Health Service!
The Beth is an old-fashioned cradle-to-grave hospital serving a small Yorkshire town, that is threatened with closure to cut costs. A documentary crew, eager to capture its fight for survival, follows the daily struggle to find beds on the Dusty Springfield Geriatric Ward.

In an outstanding fall season of National Theatre Live at Cinestudio, the second play by Alan Bennet to be presented (along with Allelujah!) is an epic, multi- award-winning drama. A new production of The Madness of George III (also a 1991 movie) will be the first-ever live broadcast from Nottingham Playhouse.

Broadcast live December 6 from London’s National Theatre with an encore screening Sunday December 9, Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient) and Sophie Okonedo (Christopher Robin) bring their charisma and acting prowess to Shakespeare’s great tragedy of politics, passion and power.
Director Simon Godwin returns to National Theatre Live screens with this hotly anticipated production, following previous broadcasts of Twelfth Night, Man and Superman and The Beaux’ Stratagem.

Simon Russell Beale plays William Shakespeare’s Richard II, broadcast live from the stage of the Almeida Theatre in London. Timeless as ever, Shakespeare exposes the damage that a weak leader can bring to his court and his subjects, in a visceral portrait of Richard II, King of England.

The Washington Post recently called David Hare (Plenty, The Absence of War) “the premiere political dramatist writing in English.” His explosive new work, I’m Not Running, will premiere at London’s Lyttelton, National Theatre. Luckily for U.S. fans, it will be shown live in a select group of cinemas, including Cinestudio.

Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren (The Queen), plays Queen Elizabeth II in the Tony Award®-winning production of The Audience. Captured live from London’s West End, the original broadcast returns to iCinestudio to mark National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday. For 60 years, Queen Elizabeth II has met with each of her 12 prime ministers in a private weekly meeting. This meeting is known as The Audience

Gillian Anderson (X-Files, NT Live: A Streetcar Named Desire) and Lily James (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) lead in All About Eve, broadcast live to cinemas from the West End in London. Adapted by Ivo van Hove from the 1950 Twentieth Century Fox film by Joseph L Mankiewicz and the play “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr. Ivo van Hove directs this new stage version with set and lighting design from Jan Versweyveld, costume design by An D’Huys and music from double Mercury Prize-winner PJ Harvey, alongside Tom Gibbons’ sound design.

Andrea Levy’s Orange Prize-winning novel Small Island comes to life in an epic new theatre adaptation. Small Island embarks on a journey from Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948. The play follows three intricately connected stories. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as the play traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.

Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock, Doctor Strange) plays the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. Now seen by over 900,000 people worldwide, the original broadcast returns to Cinestudio to mark National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday. As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralysed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state.

The story of a family and a company that changed the world, told in three parts on a single evening. Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes (Skyfall, The Ferryman) directs Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles who play the Lehman Brothers, their sons and grandsons. On a cold September morning in 1844 a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside. Dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they establish – Lehman Brothers – spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, and triggers the largest financial crisis in history. Broadcast live from London’s West End as part of National Theatre Live’s 10th Birthday season.

See the hilarious, award-winning, one-woman show that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series Fleabag, broadcast live from London’s West End.  Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabagis an uncensored look at an unconventional woman living her life out loud. Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

In a celebration of National Theatre Live’s 10th Anniversary of bringing British theatre to cinemas around the world, Cinestudio hosts an encore presentation of one of NTL’s straight out funniest performances. A smash hit where sex, food, money and unadulterated British humor are high on the agenda, it moved from the National Theatre to Broadway and won James Corden (yes, now of The Late, Late, Late Show) a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

A highly acclaimed new version of Shakespeare’s best-loved play can be seen at the Bridge Theatre in London through the end of August. But if you find yourself in Connecticut, you can experience the very same production on the big screen at Cinestudio, via National Theatre Live. Watch as The Bridge Theatre becomes a dream world of flying fairies and moonlight revels, where it is Oberon, not Titania who falls in love with the hilariously scene-stealing Bottom.

See Olivier Award-winners, Lindsay Duncan (Birdman, About Time) and Alex Jennings (The Lady in the Van, The Queen), in this brand new play from Simon Woods, broadcast live from the National Theatre in London. Don’t miss this witty and devastating portrait of the governing class, directed by Simon Godwin (NT Live: Antony & Cleopatra, Twelfth Night) and part of National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday season.

Matthew Warchus directs Andrew Scott (BBC’s Sherlock, Fleabag) in Noël Coward’s provocative comedy Present Laughter.  As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, star actor Garry Essendine’s colourful life is in danger of spiralling out of control. Engulfed by an escalating identity crisis as his many and various relationships compete for his attention, Captured live from The Old Vic in London, Present Laughter is a giddy and surprisingly modern reflection on fame, desire and loneliness.

Fleabag is back by popular demand, hot on the heels of Phoebe Waller-Bridge Golden Globe win for Best Performance by an Actress, in a Television Series Musical or Comedy! See the hilarious, award-winning, one-woman show that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series Fleabag, broadcast live from London’s West End by National Theatre Live.

Broadcast live from The Old Vic in London, Academy Award-winner Sally Field (in her first performance on the London stage) ) and Bill Pullman (The Sinner, Independence Day) star in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama All My Sons. Jeremy Herrin (NT Live: This House) directs the cast, which also includes Jenna Coleman (Victoria), and Colin Morgan (Merlin).

Scottish actor James McAvoy (X-Men, Atonement) returns to the stage in an inventive new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, broadcast live to cinemas from the West End in London. Fierce with a pen and notorious in combat, Cyrano almost has it all – if only he could win the heart of his true love Roxane.

We all lost a giant with the death of Stephen Sondheim, who the New York Times celebrated as “one of Broadway history’s top songwriting titans.” To ease the sting, we still have his incredible collection of work  (West Side Story, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd)  – and Follies, filmed live on London’s National Stage in 2017. Set in a crumbling hall (based on NYC’s Ziegfeld) that is set for demolition, it brings together two couples (and others) who performed there in between World Wars I and II. There is grit, there is passion, and disillusionment. Above all Follies is a tribute to the shows that filled Broadway with delight.

National Theatre Live is back, bringing the best of British theatre to select cinemas around the globe! Join us for a broadcast of a fantastical adaptation of Phillip Pullman book, set twelve years before his His Dark Materials trilogy. Storms are brewing as two young people and their dæmons find themselves at the center of a terrifying manhunt. In their care is the tiny child Lyra Belacqua, who will shape the fate of the future. As the waters rise, powerful adversaries conspire for mastery of Dust: salvation to some, infinite corruption to others. A rare opportunity for all ages to see live theatre on the big screen!

Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd) and John Heffernan (Dracula) lead the cast in Shakespeare’s romcom of sun, sea and mistaken identity.

The legendary family-run Hotel Messina on the Italian Riveria has been visited by artists, celebrities and royalty. But when the owner’s daughter weds a dashing young soldier, not all guests are in the mood for love.

A string of scandalous deceptions soon surround not only the young couple, but also the adamantly single Beatrice and Benedick.

Following his award-winning productions of Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night and Antony and Cleopatra, director Simon Godwin returns with this irresistible comedy, broadcast live from the National Theatre stage.

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) makes her West End debut in this 21st century retelling of Anton Chekhov’s tale of love and loneliness.

A young woman is desperate for fame and a way out. A young man is pining after the woman of his dreams. A successful writer longs for a sense of achievement. An actress wants to fight the changing of the times. In an isolated home in the countryside, dreams lie in tatters, hopes are dashed, and hearts broken. With nowhere left to turn, the only option is to turn on each other.

Following his critically acclaimed five-star production of Cyrano de Bergerac, Jamie Lloyd brings Anya Reiss’ adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s classic play to stage. Filmed live in London’s West End.

A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller’s captivating parable of power with Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell (Yerma).

Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe from trial.

Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet) directs this contemporary new staging, designed by Tony Award-winner Es Devlin (The Lehman Trilogy). Captured live from the Olivier stage at the National Theatre.

An extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy, directed by Clint Dyer with a cast that includes Giles Terera (Hamilton), Rosy McEwen (The Alienist) and Paul Hilton (The Inheritance).

She’s a bright, headstrong daughter of a senator; elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He’s refugee of slavery; having risen to the top of a white world, he finds love across racial lines has a cost.

Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together. But as unseen forces conspire against them, they find their future is not theirs to decide.

Othello is filmed live on the Lyttleton stage of the National Theatre.

A rollicking new comedy by Richard Bean (One Man, Two Guvnors) and Oliver Chris (Twelfth Night). After an aerial dog fight, Pilot Officer Jack Absolute flies home to win the heart of his old flame, Lydia Languish. Back on British soil, Jack’s advances soon turn to anarchy when the young heiress demands to be loved on her own, very particular, terms.

Emily Burns directs this spectacularly entertaining new version of Sheridan’s The Rivals. Featuring a cast including Caroline Quentin, Laurie Davidson, Natalie Simpson, and Kelvin Fletcher.

Romeo and Juliet risk everything to be together. In defiance of their feuding families, they chase a future of joy and passion as violence erupts around them.

This bold film brings to life the remarkable backstage spaces of the National Theatre in which desire, dreams and destiny collide to make Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy sing in an entirely new way.

Andrew Scott (Fleabag) brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) radical new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.

Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions.

Filmed live during its sold-out run in London’s West End, Vanya will be playing exclusively in cinemas in 2024.

★★★★★’Unquestionably theatre at its best’Broadway World

Returning to the big screen after nearly ten years, Bill Nighy (Living) and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) feature in the critically acclaimed revival of David Hare’s play, directed by Stephen Daldry (The Audience).

On a bitterly cold London evening, schoolteacher Kyra receives an unexpected visit from her former lover. As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideologies and mutual desires.

Actor Jodie Comer makes her West End debut in the UK premiere of Suzie Miller’s award-winning play, live from London’s intimate Harold Pinter Theatre! National Theatre Live gives audiences in select cinemas the chance to see Jodie Comer give an extraordinary, solo tour-de-force performance as Tessa, a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working-class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross-examining and winning. When she herself becomes a plaintiff in a sexual assault case, Tessa’s sense of justice and morality clash up against the patriarchal “rules of the game.” Fans of TV’s Killing Eve already know Jodie Comer, but her first appearance on the stage reveals an amazing new talent on the boards

Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state and created the NHS.

Confronted with death, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan’s deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his life; from childhood to mining underground, Parliament and fights with Churchill.

Written by Tim Price and directed by Rufus Norris (Small Island), this epic new Welsh fantasia will be broadcast live from the National Theatre.