The Deep Blue Sea and The Comedy of Errors join National Theatre at Home
David Farnor | On 27, May 2021
The Deep Blue Sea and The Comedy of Errors have joined the line-up of plays available on National Theatre at Home.
The streaming service, which was launched at the end of last year, brings together a range of stage productions to stream worldwide, from plays that are part of the NT’s archive to others broadcast to cinemas as part of National Theatre Live. New productions are added monthly, and May has seen two productions arrive: The Deep Blue Sea, with Helen McCrory in the lead role as Hester Collyer, and The Comedy of Errors, which marked the National Theatre debut of Lenny Henry.
The Deep Blue Sea’s recording is dedicated in fond memory of the late McCrory, with two on-stage conversations with the actor also available to stream – including one from 2014 with Genista McInosh as Helen discussed preparing to play Medea (also available on National Theatre at Home) and another from 2016 with Libby Purves about The Deep Blue Sea.
The play follows Hester, who is found by her neighbours in the aftermath of attempted suicide, leading the story of her tempestuous affair with a former RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge to emerge. With it comes a portrait of need, loneliness and longrepressed passion.
Filmed for National Theatre Live in the Lyttelton theatre in 2016, Carrie Cracknell’s critically acclaimed production of Terence Rattigan’s post-war masterpiece co-stars Tom Burke as Freddie Page. The cast also includes Marion Bailey, Hubert Burton, Yolanda Kettle, Nick Fletcher and Adetomiwa Edun, James Alper, Katy Brittain, Elsie Fallon, Nick Figgs, Andrew Lewis and Sian Polhill-Thomas.
The Comedy of Errors was directed by Dominic Cooke (Follies, The Hollow Crown) and co-starred Lucian Msamati (Romeo & Juliet, Amadeus) in the Olivier theatre in 2011.
Shakespeare’s comedy sees two sets of twins who were separated at birth collide in the same city without meeting for one crazy day, as multiple mistaken identities lead to confusion on a grand scale. Filmed for National Theatre Live in 2012, the cast included Ian Burfield, Joseph Mydell, Tom Anderson, Jude Owusu, Daniel Poyser, Claudie Blakley, Chris Jarman, Silas Carson, Amit Shah, Rene Zagger, Adrian Hood, Grace Thurgood, Paul Bentall, Pamela Nomvete, Clare Cathcart, Marcus Adolphy, Yvonne Newman, Rhiannon Oliver, Simon Parrish and Everal A Walsh.
Both plays are available at least until 17th May 2022.
They join 19 other productions on the platform, including Angels in America Parts One and Two with Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane and Russell Tovey, Medea with Helen McCrory and Michaela Coel, Mosquitoes with Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams, Phèdre with Helen Mirren and Dominic Cooper, the Young Vic’s Yerma with Billie Piper and Othello with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear.
All productions on National Theatre at Home are available with captions. The Deep Blue Sea
will also be available with audio-description to support blind and partially-sighted audiences worldwide.
National Theatre at costs £9.99 a month, with titles also available to rent from £5.99 to £8.99 each.
