National Theatre Live
The Best of British Theater Broadcast Live to Cinemas Around the World

$20 Members
$25 Public

The new play by Nicholas Wright (Vincent in Brixton, The Reporter) is a charming and witty tribute to the Eastern European immigrants who became major players in Hollywood’s golden age

In a remote village in Eastern Europe, around 1900, the young Motl Mendl is entranced by the flickering silent images on his father’s cinematograph. Bankrolled by Jacob, the ebullient local timber merchant, and inspired by Anna, the girl sent to help him make moving pictures of their village, he stumbles on a revolutionary way of story-telling. Forty years on, Motl – now a famed American film director – looks back on his early life and confronts the cost of fulfilling his dreams. Nicholas Wright’s new play is a funny and fascinating tribute to the Eastern European immigrants who became major players in Hollywood’s golden age. The award-winning Antony Sher – whose previous work with the National Theatre includes Primo and Stanley – returns to play Jacob. (180 min. with Intermission)

For the first time on an NT broadcast, the National Theatre will be hosting a live Q&A, directly following the performance, hosted by Emma Freud with director Nicholas Hytner and invited guests. The Q&A will discuss themes explored in the play and the history and emergence of film. Audiences can submit questions in advance by posting them on FACEBOOK or through Twitter @ntlive.