In my last column I suggested a virtual tour of the Musée D’Orsay in Paris as a way to spend some quality downtime during the current coronavirus crisis. The arts provide a valuable outlet to allow us to appreciate some of the beauty that surrounds us. It has probably never been so important in our lives and I hope that readers will continue to explore the many online ways to relax.
The closure of theatres is hitting the arts community particularly hard and actors – already members of a profession that is a difficult and volatile one – are without work for the near future. When this pandemic comes to an end (which hopefully will be soon), I would implore people to think of supporting local commerce and events, including the arts.
Meanwhile, there are some online ways to see some great theatre, although it is not actually live. This movement has been led, to some extent, by the National Theatre in Britain, and the great news is that they are providing this free of charge. It began two weeks ago and the programme for the remainder of April is known. Plans are also afoot to extend the service into May should the current lockdown continue.
It was said to me that one of the great advantages of being able to view these acclaimed shows on your laptop or television is that you don’t have to pay for it – and you don’t have to worry about the tall person sitting in front of you. (It made me wonder what theatre goers seated behind me think when they find me in front of them.)
The details
Starting a fortnight ago, the National Theatre is streaming a new show every Thursday night and you can see it for seven days without actually leaving your house. How can you watch? What plays are being screened? Well, here is everything you need to know.
The shows are available on the National Theatre’s YouTube channel, starting each Thursday at 7pm. Don’t worry if you miss it on the night it debuts: the production is available to rewatch for seven days on the same YouTube channel.
The initiative kickstarted two weeks ago with the theatre streaming a recording of Richard Bean’s One Man Two Guvnors, featuring Gavin and Stacey’s James Corden. His career has been in its ascendancy since he was part of that phenomenal television success, and I was blessed some years ago to see him perform in Alan Bennett’s History Boys in London’s West End. He is an outstanding actor and should you have time to catch him in One Man Two Guvnors, you will understand why I say this.
The remaining schedule for this month is Thursday 16 April – Treasure Island by Bryony Lavery; and Thursday 23 April – Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. More free plays are expected to stream, with further titles to be announced.
Jane Eyre is a feast for the senses.
This last week it was Jane Eyre. Sally Cookson’s bold, tumultuous reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre is a feast for the senses and was unanimously acclaimed by critics, getting top marks from them all. Cookson places the emphasis of this production very clearly: “I like to think of it as a life story rather than a love story (the original title was Jane Eyre – an Autobiography) which sees Jane develop from a powerless child into an independent free-thinking adult.” If you have purchased this edition of the paper in time, you may just catch it online.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island is generally recognised as the archetypal boys’ adventure story. However, Bryony Lavery’s adaptation redresses the gender balance. Jim Hawkins remains the story’s pivotal figure but, played by Patsy Ferran, the character is now a girl. Once aboard the Hispaniola she fiercely resents being told that “maps are for men, not girls”.
Like the book, this stage version is a tribute to the wit and resourcefulness of children, especially when compared with the adults. The stage designs consistently astonish and this production gives new life to a much-loved book and reminds us that bravery and daring are not just male prerogatives.
The casting of Tamsin Greig as Malvolia is inspired in this twist on Shakespeare’s classic story of mistaken identity, Twelfth Night, considered by many as the most perfect comedy ever written. A ship is wrecked on the rocks. Viola is washed ashore but her twin brother Sebastian is lost. Determined to survive on her own, she steps out to explore a new land. So begins a whirlwind of mistaken identity and unrequited love.
The households of Olivia and Orsino are overrun with passion. Even Olivia’s uptight housekeeper Malvolia is swept up in the madness. Where music is the food of love, and nobody is quite what they seem, anything proves possible in this gender-fluid production which is inventive and boundlessly funny.
Read more
The Front Row: enjoying art from home
Living Life: partners in rhyme
The Front Row: celebrating an overlooked Irish heroine
In my last column I suggested a virtual tour of the Musée D’Orsay in Paris as a way to spend some quality downtime during the current coronavirus crisis. The arts provide a valuable outlet to allow us to appreciate some of the beauty that surrounds us. It has probably never been so important in our lives and I hope that readers will continue to explore the many online ways to relax.
The closure of theatres is hitting the arts community particularly hard and actors – already members of a profession that is a difficult and volatile one – are without work for the near future. When this pandemic comes to an end (which hopefully will be soon), I would implore people to think of supporting local commerce and events, including the arts.
Meanwhile, there are some online ways to see some great theatre, although it is not actually live. This movement has been led, to some extent, by the National Theatre in Britain, and the great news is that they are providing this free of charge. It began two weeks ago and the programme for the remainder of April is known. Plans are also afoot to extend the service into May should the current lockdown continue.
It was said to me that one of the great advantages of being able to view these acclaimed shows on your laptop or television is that you don’t have to pay for it – and you don’t have to worry about the tall person sitting in front of you. (It made me wonder what theatre goers seated behind me think when they find me in front of them.)
The details
Starting a fortnight ago, the National Theatre is streaming a new show every Thursday night and you can see it for seven days without actually leaving your house. How can you watch? What plays are being screened? Well, here is everything you need to know.
The shows are available on the National Theatre’s YouTube channel, starting each Thursday at 7pm. Don’t worry if you miss it on the night it debuts: the production is available to rewatch for seven days on the same YouTube channel.
The initiative kickstarted two weeks ago with the theatre streaming a recording of Richard Bean’s One Man Two Guvnors, featuring Gavin and Stacey’s James Corden. His career has been in its ascendancy since he was part of that phenomenal television success, and I was blessed some years ago to see him perform in Alan Bennett’s History Boys in London’s West End. He is an outstanding actor and should you have time to catch him in One Man Two Guvnors, you will understand why I say this.
The remaining schedule for this month is Thursday 16 April – Treasure Island by Bryony Lavery; and Thursday 23 April – Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. More free plays are expected to stream, with further titles to be announced.
Jane Eyre is a feast for the senses.
This last week it was Jane Eyre. Sally Cookson’s bold, tumultuous reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre is a feast for the senses and was unanimously acclaimed by critics, getting top marks from them all. Cookson places the emphasis of this production very clearly: “I like to think of it as a life story rather than a love story (the original title was Jane Eyre – an Autobiography) which sees Jane develop from a powerless child into an independent free-thinking adult.” If you have purchased this edition of the paper in time, you may just catch it online.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island is generally recognised as the archetypal boys’ adventure story. However, Bryony Lavery’s adaptation redresses the gender balance. Jim Hawkins remains the story’s pivotal figure but, played by Patsy Ferran, the character is now a girl. Once aboard the Hispaniola she fiercely resents being told that “maps are for men, not girls”.
Like the book, this stage version is a tribute to the wit and resourcefulness of children, especially when compared with the adults. The stage designs consistently astonish and this production gives new life to a much-loved book and reminds us that bravery and daring are not just male prerogatives.
The casting of Tamsin Greig as Malvolia is inspired in this twist on Shakespeare’s classic story of mistaken identity, Twelfth Night, considered by many as the most perfect comedy ever written. A ship is wrecked on the rocks. Viola is washed ashore but her twin brother Sebastian is lost. Determined to survive on her own, she steps out to explore a new land. So begins a whirlwind of mistaken identity and unrequited love.
The households of Olivia and Orsino are overrun with passion. Even Olivia’s uptight housekeeper Malvolia is swept up in the madness. Where music is the food of love, and nobody is quite what they seem, anything proves possible in this gender-fluid production which is inventive and boundlessly funny.
Read more
The Front Row: enjoying art from home
Living Life: partners in rhyme
The Front Row: celebrating an overlooked Irish heroine
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: