Skylight

Yesterday I went to see the National Theatre Live production of Skylight by David Hare, being broadcast at the Everyman cinema in Leeds.

18 years since it's last production, Skylight is back at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End. Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy star as Kyra and Tom respectively. The story tells the tale of Kyra, a school teacher living in a dingy apartment in London who is visited by Edward (Matthew Beard), son of her former lover, Tom. Edward, now 18, tells Kyra of the death of his mother a year ago and the state his father is in. Shortly after Edward leaves, Tom arrives at Kyra's apartment. Many years have passed since the two former flames saw each other, and there is a lot to cover. The play is staged in a single set, driven purely but the passion between the two characters, the passion of rage and the passion of romance.

This play is Carey Mulligan's West End debut and she is fantastic. Watching in a cinema, you realise how different theatre acting is to film acting, but all actors did it effortlessly. Bill Nighy is, of course, no stranger to the stage, reprising his role as Tom in Skylight which he first performed in its original run.

If you get the chance to go and see a National Theatre Live production at a cinema then I highly recommend it, it is a truly enjoyable experience.