Nicola Coughlan, Helen Mirren, and Aiden Turner are all heading to cinemas with the National Theatre Live
What do Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, Irish actor Aidan Turner, and the indomitable Dame Helen Mirren have in common? Well, they’re all fabulous, all icons in their own right, and they’re all heading to the cinema as part of 2026’s National Theatre Live series.
The shows were all captured in front of a live audience in London, and will be spreading their wings, heading into cinemas across the UK so you can enjoy some top tier theatre without having to battle on the train down or trying to work out just how restricted the view is from the £25 seat. Tickets are going on sale from today.
The series kicks off on February 26 when Dame Helen Mirren will be returning to cinemas as Queen Elizabeth II, which will be the first time it has been seen in over a decade. The production is the Olivier and Tony Award-winning The Audience which was the inspiration for Netflix’s huge hit, The Crown.
Next up is John Millington’s The Playboy of the Western World starring Coughlan, fellow Derry Girls alum Siobhan McSweeney, and Saipan star Eanna Hardwicke, which will be on screens from 28th May. According to McSweeney, it’s “a play that refuses to sit quietly and I can’t wait for audiences in the theatre and beyond to feel just how alive and provocative it still is.
“Irish stories have travelled the world for generations and for this show to travel to cinemas internationally is a continuation of that tradition.”
The play follows the life of Pegeen Flaherty which sent into tailspin when a young man walks into her pub claiming he has skilled his father. Instead of being shunned, the killer, Christy Mahon, becomes a local hero. The new production is currently running in the Lyttelton theatre until 28th February, and is being captured for its cinematic debut.
Turner will be starring in Christopher Hampton’s well known adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses alongside acting titan Lesley Manville, and American actress Monica Barbaro. The play follows Marquise De Mertreuil – a master in the art of survival – who, alongside Vicomte De Valmonte, turns seduction into strategy, and weaponises desire before the pair’s alliance collapses into rivalry. The filmed version will head to cinemas on June 25, and is hot on the heels of The Playboy of the Western World, showing at the Lyttelton Theatre from March 21 until June 6th.
Tickets for all the performances go on sale at 10am on Thursday 4th December, and you can head to the National Theatre’s website to find tickets and your nearest cinema. If one of your New Year’s Resolution is to soak up some extra culture, it’s the perfect opportunity to see some quality theatre for less.
Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!
