Theatre Production Of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag To Be Streamed By Amazon

Amazon has partnered with the National Theatre and will stream four high-profile live-recorded stage show which includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag that she performed at Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End and Benedict Cumberbatch's Frankenstein.

The four shows will be available to stream on Amazon Prime from June 11 in the UK and Ireland. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag which is her one-woman show that she first performed in 2013, is both written and created by her. The tragicomedy Fleabag stars Bridge in the main role and tells the story of a free-spirited and sexually active but angry and confused woman who lives in London. Bridge won the Best Actress in a TV musical or comedy for the show at the 77th Golden Globe Awards.

The other two performances that will be available to stream include Ian McKellen's solo show that he toured in 2019 to mark his 80th birthday and Benedict Cumberbatch's show which was filmed at the Barbican in 2015 in which he plays Hamlet.

Lisa Burger, who is the joint chief executive at the National Theatre said that this step will help to enable support the artists as the pandemic has impacted the theatre-makers hugely. She also added that the audiences will have the best seats in the house.

Martin Backlund, who is the head of content for the UK, Ireland and Nordics at the Amazon Prime Video said that they are delighted to give the viewers across the UK and Ireland to experience some of the most memorable theatrical productions of the last decade that the National Theatre has brought. He further said that they want to shine a light on the incredible heritage of the place.

Prime Video and Amazon Studios donated about £500,000 to the Theatre Community Fund in 2020. The fund was launched by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman and Francesca Moody to provide hardship grants to theatre workers and freelancers across the U.K. Additionally, they donated £1 million to the U.K. Film and TV Charity's COVID-19 response to help the industry recover from the ongoing pandemic.

The British cinema re-opened its doors a week ago for the first time since last year. It was one of the strongest openings in the UK since March last year when movie theatres were forced to shut due to the pandemic.