If you’ve ever tried booking theater tickets in London you know what a Herculean task it can be, especially for plays with celebrity actors and running just a few weeks.
Most are sold out in the blink of an eye (Stephen Fry on Twelfth Night at the Shakespeare’s Globe… sniff), so why not watch the performance projected live, in another movie theater, in high-definition?
Up until very recently I’d never heard of the National Theater Live. I knew vaguely you could go to the cinema to watch live Opera, but never imagined the same could be done with theater. But then a friend, after seeing my 2012 Shakespearean resolution, invited me to see The Comedy of Errors.
The cast included Lenny Henry, Lucian Msamati and Claudie “Queen of Costume Drama” Blakley. They were wonderful, the set was fantastic, and the physical comedy fitted cleverly with the Bard’s original jokes. The Brussels audience laughed especially hard at the “I could find out countries in her” speech, which mentions Belgium (West End Whingers in their review of the play asked “Shakespeare of course invented everything. Was he the first to discover the intrinsic comic value in Belgium too?“. You got to love a country able to laugh at itself. Another great example is the movie In Bruges).
It’s quite a feeling to hear the London audience laugh while we were laughing as well, and imagine all the other spectators around the world doing it as well at the exact same time (hurrah for globalization!). There are hundreds of locations that offer NTV, and although nothing compares to actually being there, this sure comes close. Have you ever tried it?
I’m planning to see “She Stoops to Conquer” of the 29 March and the encore of Frankenstein, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, about which I’ve heard wonders. Anyone joining?
16 comments
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March 2, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Patricia
I will be joining you:) it was great last night.
March 13, 2012 at 10:53 am
Alex
Counting on it!
March 2, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Patty
me too! what a great play! thoroughly enjoyed it!
March 13, 2012 at 10:53 am
Alex
It was great!
March 3, 2012 at 1:23 am
Teresa
The Shakespeare theatre where I volunteer here in DC frequently shows NT Live broadcasts, but I haven’t made it to one yet. It’s a great concept, though, and I see Comedy of Errors and She Stoops to Conquer are still ahead on the schedule.
March 13, 2012 at 10:54 am
Alex
Highly recommend Comedy of Errors, Teresa. You’ll thank me later 😛
March 3, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Jenny
Sounds brilliant! Comedy of Errors is not, you know, my favorite of all Shakespeare’s plays (or even all his comedies), but it would still be fun to see. All that physical comedy.
March 13, 2012 at 10:57 am
Alex
What’s your favorite? I was surprised at how jokes written in the 16th century are still so funny!
March 6, 2012 at 12:59 am
A Damned Conjuror
QFT in Belfast did a screening of Frankenstein but I missed it….hopefully the encore screening is shown here
never seen Comedy of Errors performed so might check it out
March 13, 2012 at 10:59 am
Alex
I hope not to be disappointed with Frankenstein. Everyone is so raving about it!
March 6, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Zeba Clarke
Gnashing my teeth – it sounded so good. Definitely on for She Stoops – a colleague went to see it live a couple of weeks ago and said it was terrific.
I enjoyed seeing Frankenstein, but I had issues with what they did to the ending…will be interesting to hear what you think.
March 13, 2012 at 11:01 am
Alex
I’m sooo sorry you weren’t able to make it!
March 6, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Melissa
This is such a great idea. Last summer I saw The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry Part IV, both filmed live at the Globe, on the big screen in Indianapolis. It was wonderful!
March 13, 2012 at 11:12 am
Alex
I’ve going to the Globe (really there!) in June to see Henry V 🙂
March 14, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Larissa
Seriously, you make me discover the city I live in. I also was vaguely aware of the Opera thing but completely oblivious to the theater one… I should try and come at one time 😉
January 7, 2013 at 5:29 pm
2012 in review & 2013 plans « The Sleepless Reader
[…] 2012, when I tackled A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth. Also, I watched two of his plays: A Comedy of Errors and Henry V (a great midnight session at the Globe Theater in […]