Britain’s National Theatre celebrated their 50th anniversary with an extraordinary theatre event on November 1, and cinema goers around the world are invited to share the experience via NT Live.
This two-hour event is almost entirely live performance, with the elite of British thespians taking the stage on the same night for a once-in-a-lifetime show.
Covering iconic productions from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to The History Boys, from Antony and Cleopatra to Angels in America, from Guys and Dolls to London Road, this will be a thrilling evening of live performance and rare glimpses from the archive, bringing the history of the National Theatre to your local cinema.
The three great Dames – Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren – are joined by such theatrical luminaries as Derek Jacobi, Ralph Fiennes, Simon Russell Beale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Frances de la Tour, Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston, James Corden, Dominic Cooper, Rory Kinnear, Adrian Lester and many more, re-creating on stage some of the greatest moments from the history of the National Theatre.
Highlights include the reunion of the original cast of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys including James Corden (NT Live: One Man, Two Guvnors) and Dominic Cooper (NT Live: Phèdre), plus an extra special guest, Judi Dench singing Send in the Clowns from Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music; an hilarious scene from Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land with Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon; Ralph Fiennes’s electric performance as a South African newspaper magnate taking over the top British newspapers in David Hare and Howard Brenton’s Pravda (based on an Australian someone we all know!); Benedict Cumberbatch’s very funny turn in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead!
During the scene changes, audiences will be shown onscreen gems from the National Theatre’s extensive archives including the stunning Maggie Smith from 1964 in Noel Coward’s Hay Fever (absolutely hilarious!), Paul Schofield in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus from 1979 (extraordinary), as well as interviews from the actors performing talking about their roles in the 50th anniversary celebrations.
National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage
Palace Byron Bay Cinema
Saturday December 7, 1 pm
