Benedict Cumberbatch (below) and Jonny Lee Miller
If you’re a theater buff but neither has the time nor dough to fly to London’s theater mecca, here’s your chance to watch some of the best shows and performances the UK theater scene has to offer.
We’ve just heard from theater actress Thea Tadiar-Everley, whom we’ve directed (in “The Vagina Monologues”) and acted with (“Magnificat,” “Magsimula Ka”), that the British School of Manila (BSM) in BGC, Taguig, will be launching its Creative Arts Centre (entrance on 38th Street opposite International School Manila) as “the first dedicated Philippine based-location for National Theater Live,” bringing the best of British theater to cinema screens all over the world.
“We are trying to provide the various communities that we live and work with the experience and exposure to excellent theater, both regionally and on the international stage,” Thea told Inquirer Entertainment. “National Theatre Live gives an opportunity for theater lovers and moviegoers to see award-winning international productions at an affordable price.”
Thea is currently a drama coach, director and production coordinator at BSM.
Scene from “Frankenstein” —PHOTOS BY CATHERINE ASHMORE
For its opening salvo, you can catch Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game,” “Doctor Strange,” “Avengers: Endgame”) and Jonny Lee Miller (“Trainspotting”) alternating in the role of Victor Frankenstein and his creature, for Nick Dear’s adaptation of “Frankenstein,” under the helm of Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Shallow Grave,” “28 Days Later”). Their performances were captured live in 2011.
The theater production follows Frankenstein, childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, as he is cast out into a hostile environment by his horror-struck maker. Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the increasingly desperate and vengeful creature is determined to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal.
A lot of relevant themes and theatrical elements come into play as “Frankenstein” mulls on “scientific responsibility, parental neglect, cognitive development, and the nature of good and evil”—just the kind of issues that we need to think about in the midst of increasing amorality in the age of social media.
Screenings will be on March 27 at 3 p.m. (featuring Jonny Lee Miller as the Creature) and 8 p.m. (starring Benedict Cumberbatch). For more info and tickets, visit BSM-vpa-ticketing.yapsody.com. Theater, literature and film buffs, you don’t want to miss this.