Whenever I go to London, I always go to the Theatre. I love the Theatre and not just the big plays in London‘s West End, but also strolling over to the old Vic, the Almeida and the National Theatre.
One of the wonderful secrets – if you like Theatre- is keeping an eye out for something called National Theatre live. All of the shows that are staged at the National Theatre appear on a circuit in the USA at Arts cinemas across the country. The other evening, we were lucky enough to see Inter Alia with Rosamond Pike at a delightful arts cinema in Natick, Massachusetts. National Theatre also has a program called National Theatre at home. You pay a subscription and have access to a number of plays again that you may not have seen.
I’ve seen several plays in Massachusetts that have been screened in various arts cinemas like Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Amherst, Cinema in Amherst, and of course, now my newfound gem in Natick. Theatre stretches back across the ages. In our tiny town in Ashfield, we have a most delightful theatre called Double Edge. Every year its summer spectacle sells out. We walk from set to set through a garden of flowers, trees, delightful streams and watch a fantasy come alive. Theatre!
Recently at the Globe in London which was recreated on the banks of the Thames in the style of the original Globe , I had the chance to see 12th Night. If you have the time inside a busy week, I would suggest you go look at National Theatre Live and see if something that appeals to you is playing nearby. During these most strange days, it feels a tiny bit subversive to go and look at Theatre in an art cinema off the grid and somehow beam onto a stage in London, join the audience at the National Theatre and enjoy a wonderful production that otherwise you would not get to see.
The only thing, apart from the play, is the ice cream at the intermission! So if you love the Theatre, as I do, go out and look at the schedule for National Theatre Live. There is always a play performing somewhere in an art cinema near you, and frankly giving support to our art cinemas is vital in these days of mainstream wonder heroes and such. It’s rather nice to sit down and for two hours or so, have a slice of London in a cinema not far from where you live. Enjoy.
