I went to the cinema on Tuesday (25^th June) Not unusual, you may think, although it was for me. What I went to see though was unusual; it was the first broadcast of a stage play from the National Theatre. It was broadcast in HD TV via satellite to selected cinemas around the world. The play was Phèdre by Jean Racine in a translation by Ted Hughes. This is not the first time that live performances have been broadcast to cinemas by HD TV, the Metropolitan Opera in New York have been broadcasting selected matinees for a couple of seasons now. However this experimental broadcast by the National Theatre in London was rather different.

In the broadcasts from New York one is always very conscious that this is a stage performance, although I have never been to the Metropolitan Opera in New York I feel as though I am a regular attendee, although I am still amazed at how old fashioned the theatre is compared with english theatres.

In this broadcast of Phèdre the use of close-ups and the panning camera made the experience a strange sort of mixture of theatre and film. The play is of course exceptional, and Ted Hughes' poetic abilities make it very special for the English speaking audience, a very down to earth and moving play, I should have taken a whole box full of tissues instead of just the ones I had in my pocket.

Certainly not a play to be missed, if it has been recorded and is played again I do urge you to see it. If not then you can certainly catch the next live broadcast from the National Theatre. It will be William Shakespeare's ‘All's well that ends well’ which will be shown live at your local cinema on the 1^st of October 2009. More details from www.ntlive.com