You Can Watch Ncuti Gatwa in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ Free for the Next Week, so RUN!
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."
Want more people to care about opera, ballet, and the performing arts? Quit complaining and start putting your proverbial money where you mouth is by checking out Ncuti Gatwa, Hugh Skinner, Eliza Scanlan, and Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo in National Theatre Live’s The Importance of Being Earnest for free on Youtube from March 12-18.
Not only has the National Theatre made this production free to watch for just under a week, the full play is available to stream with closed captions, audio descriptions, and British Sign Language interpretation. The Youtube preview follows a run in cinemas and precedes a PVOD and streaming release on the National Theatre’s own platform for subscribers. This is how professional theatre should be! Accessible, but not at the expense of the hard-working people who make it. London’s National Theatre has put full plays up on Youtube before, notably during the 2020 lockdown. I’d love for them to keep doing it, so let’s give them some engagement and positive feedback!
It’s not like you won’t be entertained. The core four (Gatwa, Skinner, Scanlan, and Adékoluẹjo) are like a lighting bolt to Oscar Wilde’s already riotous play. They’re all so funny and confident in this heightened world. They have such good chemistry with each other, it almost makes the happy ending unsatisfying. One doesn’t need to do much to queer this particular narrative, but under Max Webster’s direction the National Theatre’s production really goes above and beyond. Plus, Sharon C. Clarke, who plays the incomparable Lady Bracknell, is a force.
The Play Will Be On National Theatre Live At Home After That
Following the free preview, as mentioned above, the filmed performance will be available to stream on the theatre’s app. If you happen to miss out, there’s still a chance to watch for a price that’s much cheaper than a theatre ticket and, if you’re not in London, travel expenses. Hooray!
What else can you see if you subscribe? I’m so glad you asked. Here are some popular suggestions for what to watch after The Importance of Being Earnest on NT Live at Home:
- Angels in America starring Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane
- Next to Normal starring Caissie Levy and Jack Wolfe
- Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and/or Jonny Lee Miller
- One Man, Two Guvnors starring James Corden
- Present Laughter and Vanya starring Andrew Scott
- The Seagull starring Emilia Clarke and Indira Varma
- Hedda Gabler starring Ruth Wilson and Rafe Spall
- Waitress: The Musical starring composer Sara Bareilles
- Romeo and Juliet starring Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley
Other recent and legacy productions stream on a rolling basis, so it’s always wise to keep an eye on this streaming service. It’s a gem. If you don’t want to be a monthly subscriber, you can also rent individual plays for 72 hours at a time. I want more people to take advantage of this resource. Watch more Shakespeare! Watch classic theatre that isn’t Shakespeare! Press play on a contemporary new work! Is that enough theatre kid cheerleading for one day? Sorry for being, umm, earnest.
(featured image: Marc Brenner)
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