How do you like your theatre, salted or sweet?
How about a trip to the theatre, or a night out at the cinema, or both? Helen Mirren is taking to the National Theatre stage this summer in a production of Phèdre – also starring man-of-the-moment Dominic Cooper (THE DUCHESS, MAMMA MIA!) – which, for one night only, is being broadcast live via satellite to a cinema near you.
But do you like the idea of your theatre with surround sound? Or with a large carton of popcorn? It turns out opera lovers do (well, with the surround sound certainly, popcorn not so much). We have been satellite broadcasting the Met Opera live from NYC for three years now and we’re astounded, frankly, by its popularity. We’re used to eager filmgoers buying their cinema tickets maybe a week in advance, or two weeks for the really big titles… opera fans? Forget it. They buy a whole season of tickets almost a year in advance.
Will this kind of popularity transfer to theatre on the big screen?
We hope so, and so does the National Theatre, who have launched NT Live and are investing £50,000 per broadcast (of which Phèdre is the first). The aim, of course, is greater access. As with the Met broadcasts, content is king and any live performance with finite capacity is ripe for a spot of satellite broadcasting, be it Handel’s Messiah from King’s College Choir in Cambridge to a Q&A with Kevin Macdonald after a preview of his new film STATE OF PLAY.
Not everybody thinks so. Dominic Cavendish of The Telegraph thinks the National could spend its money more wisely by investing more in touring productions. I’d like to see him persuade Dame Helen to take enough time out of her busy schedule to tour up to 50 locations in the UK and 100 around the world.
He goes on to say that the fact that “Phèdre is relayed live seems neither here nor there” and that cinema audiences are likely to feel less moved than those at the National Theatre and if so, there is no point. The cinema broadcast is not intended to replace the theatre experience but is a potentially rewarding alternative form of access to it. I’m told that Phèdre’s theatrical run is almost sold out and that most likely, the only opportunity to see the production will be at your local cinema.
As for the cinema experience with a live edit, multi-camera angles and close-ups, Peter Conrad (The Observer) said of the Met broadcasts: “transmitted live in crystalline, high- definition video with all-enveloping surround sound… Watching it in the cinema was like having not just the best seat at the Met but all the best seats simultaneously.”
Will this foray into theatre on the big screen threaten local theatre business? Alfred Hickling on the Guardian theatre blog believes it might even help “non-theatre goers find out what they’re missing.” At only £10 a ticket, you be the judge.
For more details on Phèdre live via satellite, including ticket information visit
www.picturehouses.co.uk/ntlive or
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntlive
