See British theater on film

THE CULTURAL Center of the Philippines’ National Theatre Live (CCP NTL) returns with a new lineup of world-class stage plays filmed live from Britain’s stages.

Through the partnership of the CCP with National Theatre Live and Ayala Malls, the second season of CCP NTL will premiere at Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati, at Vertis North in Quezon City, and at the Ayala Center in Cebu from June 25 to May 27. The award-winning plays Vanya, Dear England, The Motive and Cue, and Nye will grace the big screens in the Philippines. Meanwhile, crowd favorites from the first season — Fleabag, King Lear, Frankenstein, and Hamlet — will make their comeback.

Vanya is a one-man adaptation featuring Andrew Scott which will premiering on June 25 at the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati.

Returning on June 25 at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu is Fleabag, a rip-roaring look at a woman’s life. Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and directed by Vicky Jones, the hilarious, award-winning play that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series with the same title was filmed live on stage in London’s West End in 2019.

On July 30, James Graham’s Dear England arrives at the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati. With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt, to take the team and country back to the promised land.

The contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tender, violent, moving and shocking play King Lear will be re-screened on July 30 at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu. Considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written, King Lear sees two aging fathers — one a King and another, his courtier — reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with bitter ends. The play is directed by Jonathan Munby and stars Sir Ian McKellen.

In Jack Thorne’s The Motive and Cue, audiences are offered a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity. Coming to Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati on Aug. 27, the play revolves around Richard Burton, then newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, who is going to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theater collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.

Theater lovers at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu will have the chance to see Vanya on Aug. 27.

Directed by Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle, with adaptation by Nick Dear, Frankenstein will return to the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati on Sept. 24. The thrilling, deeply disturbing Mary Shelley classic tackles scientific responsibility, parental neglect, cognitive development and the nature of good and evil. Captured live on stage in 2011, the sold-out production stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, alternating between the roles of Victor Frankenstein and his creation. For the Sept. 24 scereening, Mr. Miller will be playing as the Creature.

The Motive and Cue will be shown at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu on Sept. 24.

Come Oct. 30, Fleabag will return to the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati for the third time. Frankenstein, this time with Benedict Cumberbatch as the Creature, will premiere at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu on the same day.

Witness Nye’s mind-bending life journey on Nov. 26 at the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati. In Tim Price’s opus, Aneurin “Nye” Bevan confronted death in the eye, as he recollects his deepest memories from his childhood to mining underground, and his fights with Churchill.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role of yet another great Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet, premiering on Nov. 26, at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu. The play is directed by Lyndsey Turner.

Closing the 2024 CCP NTL’s lineup, Hamlet will return to the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati on Dec. 17. Dear England will premiere on the same day at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu.

Digitally filmed in high-definition quality, the NTL films their plays in front of live theater audiences, but optimized for the big screen and made accessible to theater fans across the globe.

All screenings will be at 6 p.m. The regular ticket price is ₱300 in Makati and Cebu, and ₱350 in Vertis North, while the special ticket price for students is ₱150. This new season also brings bundles and subscriptions for dedicated NTL fans. Groups can avail of the Barkada Pass for ₱1,200 which includes five tickets for the price of four, while students can avail of the Barkada Pass Student bundle at ₱600. Subscriptions for the full season cost ₱2,500 while the half season subscription is ₱1,500, allowing audiences 30% and 20% discounts respectively. Tickets can be purchased at sureseats.com.