In another move that brings the worlds of theatre and streamed television closer together, four National Theatre shows were released on Amazon Prime in the UK and Ireland last week.
The available-to-stream theatre shows include Frankenstein, where Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate between the roles of the creature and Victor Frankenstein, and Hamlet, which was filmed at the Barbican in 2015.
The third show is Fleabag, starring its writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and the fourth is Ian McKellen On Stage, where McKellen will perform extracts from some of his most renowned shows to mark his 80th birthday celebrations.
Lisa Burger, Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre, commented: “Over 12 years of broadcasting British theatre into cinemas with NT Live, we have built up an incredible array of filmed productions. It is with enormous pride that we announce this new collaboration with Amazon to share four productions for audiences to enjoy across the UK and Ireland on Prime Video. As theatre-makers continue to be impacted by the pandemic, this will also enable us to further support the artists behind the work.”
In August 2020, Prime Video and Amazon Studios donated half a million pounds to the Theatre Community Fund, which was launched by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman and Francesca Moody. The money is to provide hardship grants to UK theatre workers and freelancers.
The National Theatre also have their own streaming service, which can be found here.
Words by Lucy Dunn
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Photo Credit: Philip Vile