NT Live: Phèdre with Helen Mirren

The Coolidge kicks off a new partnership with NT Live with screenings of the National Theatre of Great Britain's production of Phèdre on Thursday, July 23 at at 7:00 pm and Sunday, July 26 at 11:00 am.

Consumed by an uncontrollable passion for her young stepson and believing Theseus, her absent husband, to be dead, Phèdre confesses her darkest desires and enters the world of nightmare. When Theseus returns, alive and well, Phèdre, fearing exposure, accuses her stepson of rape. The result is carnage. Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren takes the title role in this savage play by Jean Racine, translated into muscular free verse by Ted Hughes.

NT Live is a new initiative to broadcast performances of National Theatre plays onto cinema screens around the world. This production of Phèdre was performed in London on Thursday, June 25, 2009, and will be in presented from a stunning high-definition recording on our giant main screen. Future NT Live performances coming this fall to the Coolidge will presented live via satellite.