National Theatre Collection 1

Comedies

• London Assurance: Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw star in this new version of Dion Boucicault’s classic comedy

• One Man, Two Guvnors: Tony Award-winning James Corden plays Francis Henshall in the hilarious West End and Broadway hit

• She Stoops to Conquer: Directed by Jamie Lloyd with a cast including Cush Jumbo and Katherine Kelly

 

20th Century Classics and Modern Plays

• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Sienna Miller stars alongside Jack O’Connell and Colm Meaney in Tennessee Williams’ searing, poetic story

• The Cherry Orchard: ‘Beautifully skewed, melancholic and haunting.’ The Stage

• Consent: Nina Raine’s powerful, painful, funny play which sifts the evidence from every side and puts justice herself in the dock.

• The Deep Blue Sea: Starring Helen McCrory, Time Out described it as ‘Stunning. Exquisitely sad. Beautifully judged.’

• Les Blancs: This theatrical search for the soul of post-colonial Africa features Danny Sapani as Tshembe

• A Streetcar Named Desire: Starring Gillian Anderson, Ben Foster and Vanessa Kirby, The Daily Telegraph called it 'An absolute knock-out. Raw, emotional and deeply unsettling.’

• Translations: Brian Friel’s modern classic, a powerful account of nationhood, described by The Guardian as 'A flawless production. A culture-clash masterpiece’

• Yerma: Billie Piper won an Olivier Best Actress award for her performance in Lorca’s achingly powerful masterpiece

 

Shakespeare Plays

• Coriolanus: An award-winning performance from Tom Hiddleston in the title role

• Hamlet: ‘Tremendous. Rory Kinnear’s performance is superb’ The Times

• Julius Caesar: Ben Whishaw and Michelle Fairley play Brutus and Cassius, David Calder plays Caesar and David Morrissey is Mark Antony.

• King Lear: Starring Sir Derek Jacobi and directed by Tony Award winning Michael Grandage, The Telegraph said it was ‘The finest and most searching Lear I have ever seen.’

• Macbeth: First performed as part of the National Theatre’s series of Shakespeare for younger audiences

• Othello: Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear jointly won the Evening Standard Best Actor Award for their performances in the iconic roles of Othello and Iago.

• Romeo and Juliet: Bijan Sheibani's thrilling production brings the greatest love story of all time alive for a new generation

• Twelfth Night: Tamsin Greig as a transformed Malvolia, in a new twist on Shakespeare’s classic comedy of mistaken identity

• The Winter's Tale: The perfect introduction to Shakespeare for younger audiences

 

Literary Adaptations and Inspirations

• Frankenstein: Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller each play Victor Frankenstein and his creation in these two performances of Danny Boyle's smash-hit production

• Jane Eyre: ‘Aflame with passion. A picture of exultant feminism.’ The Observer

• Peter Pan: Sally Cookson directs this “dazzling production” (Radio Times) of JM Barrie’s classic

• Small Island: The Guardian described this adaptation of Andrea Levy’s Orange Prize-winning novel as 'One of the most important plays of the year.’

• Treasure Island: Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure brought to life in a thrilling adaptation by Bryony Lavery

• wonder.land: Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s tale of Alice, this musical is a coming-of-age adventure for the online generation

 

Greek Classics and World Historical Drama

• Antigone: Adapted by Don Taylor into a gripping political thriller with a cast including Jodie Whittaker and Christopher Eccleston

• Medea: ‘Extraordinary. Helen McCrory ascends to greatness’ The Sunday Times

• Dara: Shahid Nadeem’s epic tale of the dispute that shaped modern-day India and Pakistan

 

National Theatre Collection 2

Turn of the Century Plays for Contemporary Audiences

• Hedda Gabler: WhatsOnStage described this production, with Ruth Wilson in the title role, as ‘A Hedda unlike any I have ever seen. Devastating.’

• Julie: Carrie Cracknell directs a cast including Vanessa Kirby and Eric Kofi Abrefa in this ‘superlative production’ (Time Out) set in contemporary London

• The Seagull: Chekhov’s masterly meditation on how the old take revenge on the young is both comic and tragic, and marks the birth of the modern stage. ‘Land-mark brilliant’, The Independent

• Three Sisters: Chekhov’s iconic characters are relocated to a 1960s Nigeria on the brink of the Biafran Civil War, in this bold adaptation by Inua Ellams. ‘Brimming with Life. Enlightening and heart-breaking’ Broadway World

 

20th Century Classics

• A View from the Bridge: Ivo van Hove directs this stunning production which The Times called ‘One of the great theatrical productions of the decade.’

• All My Sons: From the Old Vic, Jeremy Herrin directs Sally Field and Bill Pullman in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama

• Top Girls: Lyndsey Turner directs Caryl Churchill’s wildly innovative play about a country divided by its own ambitions

 

Contemporary Plays

• After Life: If you could spend eternity with just one precious memory, what would it be? Adapted from Hirokazu Kore-eda's award-winning film

• Barber Shop Chronicles: Directed by Olivier award-winning director Bijan Sheibani. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling

• Chewing Gum Dreams: Written and performed by Michaela Coel, this award-winning, one-woman play recalls the last days of innocence before adulthood

• Home: Nadia Fall’s vital verbatim play about people living on the margins of society features performances from Michaela Coel, Antonia Thomas and Kadiff Kirwan

• Rockets and Blue Lights: Directed by Miranda Cromwell, this fiercely political play by Winsome Pinnock won the 2018 Alfred Fagon Award

• This House: A timely, moving and funny insight into the workings of British politics. It's 1974 and to a backdrop of infighting and backstabbing the political parties battle to change the future of the nation

 

Shakespeare and Greek Classics

• Macbeth: Rufus Norris directs Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff in Shakespeare's most intense and terrifying tragedy

• Paradise: Kae Tempest's epic new take on Greek legend is directed by Ian Rickson and performed by an all-female company including Lesley Sharp as Philoctetes

• Romeo and Juliet: Starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O’Connor and filmed using the backstage spaces of the National Theatre during the Coronavirus pandemic

 

Musical Theatre

• I Want My Hat Back: Based on Jon Klassen's children's picture book classic, this production will support courses in theatre for young audiences as well as musical theatre

• The Threepenny Opera: Rory Kinnear is Mack the Knife in a new version of this landmark twentieth-century musical from the Olivier stage of the National Theatre