Last Updated on 22 November 2020 by Showcall Editorial Team
Enjoy theatre in the comfort of your home thanks to these productions that are being streamed online over the coming weeks.
Dame Maureen Lipman has returned online with her acclaimed performance in Rose by Martin Sherman (best known for Bent), filmed for Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre. Funny, heart-breaking and quietly raging, it charts the life of a Jewish woman from her childhood in a Ukrainian village through persecution under the Nazis in Poland to the foundation of the state of Israel. Until 13 December. Book a viewing pass to Rose here.
Southwark Playhouse is bringing back new musical Fiver which debuted at the London theatre last year, streaming it live as a concert for three performances on 27 and 28 November. Written by Alex James Ellison and Tom Lees, it follows a five-pound note and the stories of the people whose hands it passes through. The concert features all of the songs from the 2019 production with an abridged script plus an exclusive performance of a new song. Visit the Southwark Playhouse’s Fiver Page for tickets
Blackeyed Theatre’s touring production of Charlotte Brontë’s much-loved novel, Jane Eyre, was cut short in March but it was captured live on film this autumn at the Wilde Theatre in Bracknell, Berkshire. Featuring live music, it tells the classic gothic story and romance with a cast of five. It is available to watch from 27 November, joining the company’s film of another show, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Book for Blackeyed Theatre’s Jane Eyre.
Most theatre online is ticketed now but, after treating us during the first lockdown to shows from its back catalogue for free, the National Theatre is offering its new show, The Death of England: Delroy in return for just a voluntary donation. It will be available to watch for only 24 hours from 7pm on 27 November. Written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams, it opened to great acclaim the night before the second lockdown, with a powerful performance from Michael Balogun. Watch The Death Of England: Delroy here.
Hope Mill Theatre’s revival of Jonathan Larsen’s hit musical, Rent, continues to play online as a recorded live performance until 20 December. It follows a group of struggling young artists in New York City’s East Village living in the shadow of HIV/Aids. Book Rent tickets here.
You now have until 2 December to watch the live recording of Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s Olivier Award-winning play, Emilia, which premiered at London’s Globe Theatre before transferring to the Vaudeville Theatre. It is a powerful and often funny imagining of the life of the poet, Emilia Bassano, who may have been Shakespeare’s Dark Lady. Tickets, based on pay what you can are available here.
Steven Carl McCasland’s play Little Wars summons up six exceptional women for an imaginary dinner party: Gertrude Stein, Alice B Toklas, Dorothy Parker, Lillian Hellman and Agatha Christie. Filmed for London’s Union Theatre, it features Linda Bassett, Catherine Russell, Debbie Chazen, Juliet Stevenson, Sophie Thompson, Sarah Solemani and Natasha Karp. Available to 3 December.
Tickets can be purchased here.
In Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon, Torben Betts re-tells the true story of three astronauts who found themselves stranded 205,000 miles from Earth in a crippled spacecraft. Filmed for Original Theatre Company, it has a cast that includes Tom Chambers, Christopher Harper, Michael Salami and Jenna Augen. Available to 31 December. Book tickets here.
New one-act musical Stay Awake, Jake will be available to watch online thanks to Southwark Playhouse on 18 and 19 December. Written by Tim Gilvin, it follows one man’s journey across England’s deserted motorways in the middle of the night as he drives from London to Carlisle to be reunited with his girlfriend. Book for Stay Awake, Jake.
Arinzé Kene’s film adaptation of his play, Good Boy, is still available to watch online for free, exploring the everyday injustices, people and places that make us who we are. Commissioned by The Space, it is performed by Anton Cross and directed by Andrew Gillman and Natalie Ibu after a new production toured the UK last year. Watch Good Boy here.
The Globe’s 90-minute 2019 production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, created for anyone studying the play at school, is still available to watch online for free until half-term in February 2021.
Watch Romeo and Juliet here.
