BEST OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE COMES TO THE BIG SCREEN
18 August 2023 – An exciting new season of plays from the National Theatre will be shown on the big screen at select Ster-Kinekor and Cinema Nouveau theatres over the next few months. Cinema audiences and theatre lovers alike will be treated to four innovative productions filmed live from some of Britain’s most exciting stages and screened in cinema as part of the NT (National Theatre) Live series.
Each of the NT Live productions will be screened at Rosebank Nouveau in Johannesburg, and at Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn in Pretoria, Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and Ster-Kinekor Gateway in Umhlanga for four screenings only.
“With NT Live productions showing on our cinema screens, local audiences get the opportunity to experience some of the best of British theatre in a theatre-like setting, as an extension of the live production’s audience. The advantage is that local cinema tickets are affordable, making these world-class productions from the UK accessible to anyone who enjoys and appreciates great theatre,” says Lynne Wylie, chief marketing officer at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.
Launching the season sees puppetry, magic and storytelling combine in a unique, Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of the best-selling novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, screening from 26 August. David Tennant (Doctor Who) makes a much-anticipated return to the West End in a blistering reimagining of one of Britain’s most powerful, political plays, Good on the big screen from 23 September. David Harewood (Homeland) and Zachery Quinto (Star Trek) play feuding political rivals in James Graham’s multiple award-winning new drama Best of Enemies from 21 October. The final production in this season sees Lyndsey Turner directing a contemporary new staging of Arthur Miller’s acclaimed The Crucible starring Erin Doherty, on screens from 11 November.
Opening the season is a riveting production of Life of Pi in which puppetry, magic and storytelling combine in a unique, Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Yann Martel, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Max Webster.
After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a 16-year-old boy named Pi (Hiran Abeysekera) is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, and nature is harsh: who will survive?
Filmed live in London’s West End and featuring state-of-the-art visuals, this epic journey of endurance and hope is brought to life in a breath-taking new way for cinema screens. Life of Pi releases on 26 August at 17:30, with three further screenings on 27 August at 14:30, and on 30 and 31 August at 17:30. This production has a running time of three hours.
(Watch the trailer here)
In Good, David Tennant (Doctor Who) makes a much-anticipated return to the West End in a blistering reimagining of one of Britain’s most powerful, political plays. As the world faces its Second World War, John Halder, a good, intelligent German professor, finds himself pulled into a movement with unthinkable consequences. Olivier Award-winner Dominic Cooke (Follies) directs C.P. Taylor’s timely tale, with a cast that also features Elliot Levey (Coriolanus) and Sharon Small (The Bay). Filmed live at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London, Good releases in cinemas on 23 September at 17:30, with three further screenings on 24 September at 14:30, and on 27 and 28 September at 17:30. This production has a running time of two hours, 40 minutes.
(Watch the trailer here)
David Harewood (Homeland) and Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) play feuding political rivals in James Graham’s (Sherwood) multiple award-winning new drama, Best of Enemies. In 1968 America, as two men fight to become the next president, all eyes are on the battle between two others: the cunningly conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and the unruly liberal Gore Vidal. During a new nightly television format, they debate the moral landscape of a shattered nation. As beliefs are challenged and slurs slung, a new frontier in American politics is opening and television news is about to be transformed forever. Jeremy Herrin (All My Sons) directs this blistering political thriller, filmed live in London’s West End. Releasing in cinemas on 21 October at 17:30, Best of Enemies has three further screenings on 22 October at 14:30, and on 25 and 26 October at 17:30. This production has a running time of three hours.
(Watch the trailer here)
A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller’s captivating parable of power, The Crucible, with Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell (Yerma). Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe from trial. Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet) directs this contemporary new staging, designed by Tony Award-winner Es Devlin (The Lehman Trilogy). Captured live from the Olivier stage at the National Theatre, The Crucible releases in cinemas on 11 November at 17:30, with three further screenings on 12 November at 14:30, and on 15 and 16 November at 17:30.
(Watch the trailer here)
Don’t miss these world-class theatre productions at Cinema Nouveau and select Ster-Kinekor cinemas near you. Bookings are now open; screenings are limited and will be released at Rosebank Nouveau in Johannesburg, Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn in Pretoria, Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and Ster-Kinekor Gateway in Umhlanga.
Book your tickets at www.sterkinekor.com or download the SK App on your smartphone. For news and updates, go to Facebook: Ster-Kinekor Theatres | follow Ster-Kinekor on Twitter: @Ster-Kinekor. For all queries, call Ticketline on 0861-Movies (668 437).