After all, one of the big differences between movie- and theater- going is that in the live theater, each of us does our own camera work, deciding where we wish to focus. I also expected less interference from the camerawork, which seemed outdated in the constant shifting from panning to close-up. Much as I love Nat “King” Cole’s singing of “Nature Boy,” I still have no idea what it was doing here. I wish I could say the same of the rest of Lyndsey Turner’s uneven and sometimes silly production, with its toy soldiers and play castle for Hamlet’s quarters and a fourth and fifth act that seemed, on Es Devlin’s sets, to have Elsinore covered inexplicably in what appeared to be volcanic ash. The performance ranked, without qualification, among the best Hamlets I’ve seen in a lifetime of theatergoing: Cumberbatch played a youthful, collegial Prince marked by physical prowess and grace and a rich eloquence that gave flight to the monologues and poignancy to his interactions, notably with Gertrude, Laertes and especially Brooke’s gripping Ophelia. I attended the 7 PM screening at the Beekman Theatre on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Shown live with Swedish subtitles, and for the first time on a live basis, with Russian subtitles, it drew the largest global audience for a live broadcast day of any title in National Theatre Live history.īenedict Cumberbatch, In The Solid Flesh, Opens As Hamlet At London's Barbican Theatre saw the delayed telecast that began at 7 PM. It was offered on more than 1,400 screens in 25 countries. Although the 2 PM screening was the actual live performance, most people in the U.S. More people saw the Shakespeare drama via the October 15 presentation than will have seen the entire Barbican run. The production, which is distributed around the world via By Experience, runs through October 31, and in response to the demand, NT Live has added encore performances of the three-hour presentation. But the Sonia Friedman production at London’s Barbican Theatre drew more than 225,000 viewers to theaters around the world on Thursday for a live (in some cases slightly delayed) telecast through NT Live, at around $20 each (many for less). Let the waiting begin.You haven’t been able to score a pair for love or money (well, maybe money) since tickets to Benedict Cumberbatch’s three-month run as the Melancholy Prince went on sale last year. Previously they have sponsored showings of plays like Cumberbatch's Frankenstein and Tom Hiddleston's Coriolanus.Īlthough there are still several months to go until the October showings, the good news is that no matter where his Cumberbitches live, they'll get to see him take on the classic Shakespeare role-and for a price that is much, much lower than a plane ticket to England.
It's their sixth year of bringing us our favorite British stars to the comfort of our hometown movie screens. 15 (with dates varying and encore screenings to follow)."įans can thank National Theatre Live for making that happen. Entertainment Weekly reports that the play "will be broadcast to cinemas around the world on Thursday, Oct. That's right, all 12 weeks worth of seats were snatched up almost immediately, leaving many disappointed fans unable to attend.īut fortunately now everyone can go see it, and they don't even have to cross an ocean to get there. The Barbican Theater show sold out a whole year before its opening date. It's great news for fans of the actor who don't live in London, but also for anyone who couldn't score a ticket to the prestigious play. Huge news for all the Cumberbitches out there! Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet is coming to theaters across the world.