Starting this Thursday October 13, the Belgrave Cinema presents film versions of five stage productions from Britain’s prestigious National Theatre. This follows the highly successful trend by the Metropolitan Opera of transferring their productions to the big screen. Belgrave’s manager, Samson Baivucago, is confident that the filmed plays will find a strong niche market in Armidale.
“This is an amazing town and people really support arthouse movies,” he said.
First in the series is One Man, Two Guvnors, a reworking of Carlo Goldini’s classic 18th century comedy, A Servant of Two Masters. Loaded with verbal and physical humour, it is one of the funniest shows in the National Theatre’s history. The plot involves mistaken identities and near misses as the hero, a failed skiffles player, tries desperately to work for two dodgy bosses at the same time. It received a highly acclaimed five star rating in Britain and is showing on Thursday and Friday October 13 and 14 at 6pm, and Saturday and Sunday October 15 and 16 at 1.30pm.
The second film is The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker, a spicy black comedy set in a restaurant in the 1950’s. It features an outstanding ensemble of 29 actors, who prepare and cook food on stage. The Kitchen, is a tour de force spectacle of “fabulous, fast moving action”¦With wit and energy it keeps you gasping.” (The Times).
Showing on November 12 and 13 at 1.30pm.
Collaborators, the third film in the series, is a powerful, surreal drama dealing with an imaginary encounter between Josef Stalin and the playwright Josef Bulganin who has been commissioned to write a play about the dictator. It is showing on January 14 and 15, 2012.
The fourth film has yet to be announced.
The last film, playing on March 24 and 25, 2012, is Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, which is set in a contemporary world visited by three outsiders who see everything with fresh eyes.
Tickets: $25 (full), $20 (conc.) and $15 (child).
