National Theatre Archives - Page 2 of 4

The Motive and the Cue – National Theatre

8May

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

The Motive and the Cue – National Theatre

Celebrating Broadway’s famous actor-director duo of the 60s, The Motive and the Cue depicts the journey of Sir Arthur John Gielgud (Mark Gatiss) and Richard Burton (John Flynn) arriving at a Hamlet that is meaningful to both. And in this exciting journey, layer after layer is revealed as reflected in the brilliant set and design of the play. It is the story of two Hamlets, generations, and experiences apart, and when they face each other, one as a “classicist [director] wanting to be modern, and a modern [actor] wanting to be a classicist”, one can hear clashes between theatre v/s film, old v/s new, craft v/s showbiz. Sam Mendes exceptionally directs a stellar cast and production involving Jack Thorne’s words intermingled with excerpts from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. What truly connects the duo...

22Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Dancing at Luhgnasa – National Theatre

Michael casts his memory back to Bellybag, Ireland in 1936 when living in an isolated cottage with his 4 aunts and mother on the summer his uncle returns from Africa. Michael, (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) now mid 40s narrates what he remembers from that summer as his uncle slowly dying from malaria drifts in and out of a soft psychosis and the 5 sisters struggling to adapt to the introduction of the industrial revolution. The Mundy sisters, all unmarried and combined supporters of their family home are challenged by their individual unfulfilled dreams. Kate, the breadwinner and teacher is under pressure to keep the sisters afloat, but the school threatens her place on the teaching board. Maggie, a beautiful calming presence keeps everyone happy, but a deep depression overwhelms her at times when s...

National Theatre Live: Life of Pi – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

5Apr

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

National Theatre Live: Life of Pi – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

In the week that 'Standing at the Sky's Edge' deservedly won the Olivier award for Best New Musical, another show that started life at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, then went on to win Olivier's galore and wow the West End and Broadway. premiered on the National Theatre's streaming service. If 'Edge' has half the success that this beautiful metaphorical production has so far achieved, the producers will be well rewarded for their risk. Based on the best selling novel by Yann Martel and adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabati, 'Life Of Pi' tells the extraordinary story of 17 year old Piscine Molitor (Hiran Abeysekera) and his survival for 227 days in the Pacific Ocean, after a shipwreck which killed his entire family and everyone on board. Following his rescue, he is questioned as to ...

21Mar

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Hamlet – National Theatre

Shakespeare’s much-loved and much-performed tragedy is back with a neo classical adaptation for young audiences by Jude Christian, directed by Ellie Hurt. This energetic and funny show has the little ones completely enthralled, right from the pre-show crowd work that the actors employ to draw in the audience to the many moments of utter shock and surprise throughout the 65-minute performance. The audience is even asked to actively contribute to the play within the play by creating sounds and chanting ‘mur-der-er’ to shame and chase actors off stage. The play opens with a scene showing the funeral of Hamlet’s father; ‘dad’ and ‘king’ are spelt out in floral tribunals making the event very clear and this intentional clarity is evident throughout the play, making it easy for young audience...

22Feb

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Romeo and Julie – National Theatre

While any trip to the theatre is a joy and a privilege for me, occasionally something lifts the bar and the experience becomes “more than”. Those times when a production touches a place inside you and leaves you feeling full and empty at the same time, in line with your emotions being pulled to their extremities by characters that you’ll never meet again but somehow feel you know. Last night’s performance was definitely a “more than” event – truly great writing, brilliantly executed, phenomenal cast. As the title suggested, Romeo and Julie takes its inspiration from the Bard’s classic Romeo and Juliet. While this is well-trodden ground as a storyline, Romeo and Julie genuinely feels fresh and unique. Gary Owen’s Romeo (Callum Scott Howells) is a single dad on the breadline with no...

18Feb

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Phaedra – The National Theatre

Simon Stone’s take on this Greek Tragedy finds itself in a domestic setting, ostensibly a quintessentially British family sitcom. It feels familiar, from the witty, jesting Dad (Paul Chahidi), to the moody teenage son (Archie Barnes), the uptight, activist daughter (Mackenzie Davis) and the quirky son-in-law (John MacMillan). But in spite of the sharp back-and-forths and intellectual masturbation, the mother, Helen’s cool, detached demeanour belies an unsettling tension. The family eagerly await their guest, Sofiane (Assaad Bouab), the son of Helen’s dead Moroccan lover Ashraf. His arrival creates a seismic wave over the family, as he seems to exude a profound peace, intrigue and wisdom. When it becomes clear that Helen and Sofiane hold different versions of Ashraf’s death, Sofiane rages b...

Standing At The Sky’s Edge – National Theatre

16Feb

By Chloe StallibrassNo Comments

London

Standing At The Sky’s Edge – National Theatre

Where to begin. Upon entering the theatre you're met with an ominous set of a building standing as tall as it can be, with the famous artwork of the "I Love You Will U Marry Me" sign, bringing you straight into the location of the show: Sheffield Park Hill. The musical follows three individual families living under the same roof throughout various timelines, telling the story of the occupants in the flat and covering family troubles and dilemmas. The music for this show fits in so perfectly. The music styles vary from soft and loving all the way to repressed and angry, without taking the audience aback the music had the power to knit the whole show together beautifully. A couple of songs really reached out to strike the hearts of the audience and received a very loud round of applause, ...

<strong>Othello – National Theatre</strong>

5Dec

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

Othello – National Theatre

The most common thematic link in Shakespeare’s Othello to the present times has been race and patriarchy. While it would be grossly wrong to say that we are over these issues, the complexities in these two realms in contemporary society have simply multiplied with ever-increasingly polarising viewpoints. Clint Dyer’s Othello brings the production to “2022”’s National Theatre with scenographic brilliance, stellar performances, and contextual relevance. Performed by a powerful cast with Giles Terera as Othella distinguished from an all-white ensemble, Dyer’s Othello not only “cleans up”, both literally and figuratively, as witnessed in the beginning, the preceding production by Laurence Olivier of 1964 but also reinstates the fact that we are still far from a post-racial society. The strong ...

The Boy With Two Hearts – National Theatre

6Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

The Boy With Two Hearts – National Theatre

My second visit at the National this week tells a true story of a refugee family fleeing the Taliban after they call a death warrant on the mother, Fariba (Houda Echouafni) after speaking out in public against the violence against women. Within days, the family sell their items and flee, with the UK in mind mostly to access the NHS to save their eldest son Hussein (Ahmad Sakhi) who suffers from an undiagnosed heart condition. We journey through Moscow to Vienna to France and finally make it to the UK all through the eyes and bodies of this family and as they face every possible curb, we sit nearing the edge of our seats wanting to catch them each possible fall. Above us hang coats and jackets, layering the ceiling ranging from all sizes and ages. My eyes kept catching one of the smaller...

5Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

The Crucible – National Theatre

The National sets us off right into Spooky Season with the retelling of the classic tale, The Crucible directed by Lyndsey Turner. Immediately thrown into a grand atmosphere gushing rain from the ceiling and the distant flickering of two candles placed neatly on a table on stage. It’s hard not to be in awe, a feeling that only seems to expand during your experience with this show. As a very loved, famous tale (although one I’m not familiar with myself) the audience will be very sure on the story that they will be viewing, to make this individual and give it the impact that it is capable of is certainly a task: one that they handled with edge and power. We are firstly introduced to our cast in a beautifully haunting choral song, one that follows through the performance and growing only w...