The National Theatre opened its doors in 1963 with Laurence Olivier as its first director. Eight hundred productions later, the venerable institution celebrates its 50th anniversary with a starry cast of theatrical legends to applaud the remarkable people and plays that have made the NT one of the most cherished and creative wellspring's of international theater: from premieres of plays by Tom Stoppard, Peter Shaffer, Harold Pinter, Alan Bennett and David Hare, to outstanding revivals of classic plays and musicals.
National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage will air on Great Performances, Friday, February 14 at 9 p.m., ET on PBS (check local listings).
Directed by the NT's Artistic Director
Nicholas Hytner, the star-studded evening of live performance also features rare glimpses from the archive spotlighting many of the most celebrated actors who have performed on the National's stages over the past five decades.
In his five-star review,
Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph remarked that the evening featured "(a) cast that seemed like a who's who of British theatre..." Michael Billington in The Guardian called it "a brilliant kaleidoscopic entertainment that not only evoked the National's past but also, through astute recasting, opened up possibilities for the future." And Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail dubbed it "(t)he kind of fabled, luminous night that people talk about for years...The whole evening was a triumph."
Extracts range from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (with
Benedict Cumberbatch) to The History Boys (with playwright
Alan Bennett and original stars
James Corden and
Dominic Cooper), and from Mourning Becomes Electra (with
Helen Mirren and
Tim Pigott-Smith) to Bedroom Farce (with
Maggie Smith's "Downtown Abbey" co-star
Penelope Wilton).
There are musical numbers from A Little Night Music (
Judi Dench singing "Send in the Clowns"), My Fair Lady (
Alex Jennings as Henry Higgins leading Eliza and Pickering in "The Rain in Spain"), and Guys and Dolls (
Clive Rowe bringing down the house with "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat").
Priceless archival scenes include Noel Coward's Hay Fever (with
Maggie Smith), Amadeus (with
Paul Scofield), and Richard III (with
Ian McKellen). There are felicitous juxtapositions of then and now, such as Smith's youthful turn in the Coward play followed by her live-on-stage speech from Farquhar's The Beaux' Strategem.
A special treat is
Joan Plowright recreating her Saint Joan on the stage of the Old Vic, the home of the original National Theatre - prior to the construction of the present South Bank complex -- run by husband Olivier.
The cast of 100 also includes
Roger Allam,
Simon Russell Beale,
Frances de la Tour,
Christopher Eccleston,
Ralph Fiennes,
Michael Gambon,
Derek Jacobi,
Rory Kinnear,
Adrian Lester,
Anna Maxwell Martin,
AnDrew Scott, and many more.
The National Theatre Story by Daniel Rosenthal will be published in the United States by Oberon Books/Theatre Communications Group to coincide with the PBS broadcast.
A National Theatre Production in association with BBC Events Production and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, The National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage was directed for television by Tim Van Someren and produced by Robin Hawkes, with
David Sabel as executive producer.
Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, one of America's most prolific and respected public media providers.
Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, The Agnes Varis Trust, Rosalind P. Walter, The Starr Foundation, and public television viewers, and PBS.
For Great Performances, Bill O'Donnell is series producer; David Horn is executive producer.
Visit Great Performances Online at www.pbs.org/gperf for additional information about this and other programs.
As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend,
Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mike Schneider and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS content for free.
The National Theatre stages over 20 productions a year, ranging from new plays to classics from the world repertoire, in its three theatres on London's South Bank; it transfers shows to the West End and Broadway as well as touring productions around the UK and internationally. With a commitment to openness, wide-reaching engagement and access for everyone, the National broadcasts live performances to cinema screens all over the world through the National Theatre Live programme, as well as offering extensive learning and public engagement programmes and innovative digital resources. The National Theatre strives to be a national centre of theatrical arts, central to the creative life of the country and unmatched in the world for scale, range of repertoire and audience reach.
