What's On

Hamlet  
by William Shakespeare

directed by Robert Hastie

Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question – you know the one.

National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Operation Mincemeat) directs this sharp, stylish and darkly funny reimagining.

The Audience  
by Peter Morgan

directed by Stephen Daldry

Returning to cinemas for the first time in over a decade, Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II in the  Olivier and Tony Award® -winning hit production, directed by Stephen Daldry.

For 60 years, Queen Elizabeth II met with each of her 12 prime ministers in a private weekly meeting. This meeting is known as The Audience. From Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron, the Queen advised her prime ministers on matters both public and personal. Through these private audiences, we see glimpses of the woman behind the crown and witness the moments that shaped a monarch.

Peter Morgan’s Netflix phenomenon The Crown was based on this hit play that was captured live from London’s West End in 2013 and went on to become one of the most-watched NT Live productions.

Directed by David Bickerstaff

Two of Britain’s greatest painters, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable were also the greatest of rivals. Born within a year of each other, both used landscape painting to reflect the changing world around them. Tate Britain is bringing these two greats together for a groundbreaking exhibition, in London from November 2025 to April 2026, and Exhibition on Screen once again has exclusive and privileged access to bring their extraordinary art and remarkable stories to the big screen in February so that you can enjoy both film and exhibition together. Discover unexpected sides to both artists with intimate views of sketchbooks and personal items and insights from leading experts.

Turner’s blazing sunsets and sublime scenes from his travels and Constable’s idealised depictions of beloved places from home whipped the public of the time into a frenzy of enthusiasm. Constable represents the very best of the old school of realism and pastoral nostalgia; Turner, an exciting new way of depicting emotion and dreamlike impressions. Critics compared their starkly different styles to a clash of ‘fire and water’. Don’t miss this opportunity to see these greats side-by-side, as they so often were in life, on the big screen for the first time.

Frida Kahlo

Directed by Ali Ray

Certificate: tbc

Running time: tbc

Frida Kahlo is a phenomenon. She is arguably the world’s favourite female artist – beloved by young and old. Exhibition on Screen’s award-winning film – first released during covid to a restricted audience – is back by popular demand with an exciting new addition from the blockbuster transatlantic exhibition from Tate Britain and MFA Houston ‘Frida Kahlo: the Making of an Icon’.  Back in the cinemas in May 2026, one month before the Tate exhibition opens, allowing audiences to watch both the film and see the show.

Who was Frida Kahlo? Everyone knows her face but who was the woman behind the bright colours, the big brows and the floral crowns? Take a journey through the life of a true icon, discover her art, and uncover the true story of her rebellious, passionate and turbulent life.

Making use of the latest technology to deliver previously unimaginable quality, we take an in-depth look at key works throughout her career. Using letters Kahlo wrote to guide us, this definitive film reveals her deepest emotions and unlocks the secrets and symbolism contained within her art.

Exhibition on Screen’s trademark combination of interviews with those who knew her and world experts, commentary and a detailed exploration of her art, combined with new special bonus footage from the 2026 Tate exhibition, delivers a treasure trove of colour and emotion. This personal and intimate film offers privileged access to her works, her home, her studio and highlights the source of her feverish creativity, her resilience and her unmatched lust for life, beauty and revolution.

Created in close collaboration with world experts and those who knew her.

Additional new material from the curators of the groundbreaking new Tate Britain and MFA Houston exhibition.

The Playboy of the Western World
by John Millington Synge

directed by Caitríona McLaughlin

Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) joins Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) and Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls) in John Millington Synge’s riveting play of youth and self-discovery.

Pegeen Flaherty’s life is turned upside down when a young man walks into her pub claiming that he’s killed his father. Instead of being shunned, the killer becomes a local hero and begins to win hearts, that is until a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene…

Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Caitríona McLaughlin directs this darkly funny tale full to the brim with secrets.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses   
by Christopher Hampton

based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

directed by Marianne Elliott

BAFTA Award-winner Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) joins Aidan Turner (Rivals) in a striking new staging of Christopher Hampton’s celebrated adaptation of the classic novel, where among the glittering salons of the super-rich, one misstep can mean ruin.

Marquise de Merteuil is a master in the art of survival. Alongside the magnetic Vicomte de Valmont, they turn seduction into strategy and weaponise desire.  But when their alliance collapses into rivalry, the battle between them threatens to destroy everyone in their path.

Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Marianne Elliott (Angels in America) directs this thrilling game of love, lies, and social warfare.