Helen McCrory in “The Deep Blue Sea.” (Photo: Richard Hubert Smith)
The Deep Blue Sea, filmed live on stage at London’s National Theatre in 2016, contains one of the greatest female roles in contemporary drama. Helen McCrory plays Hester Collyer and Tom Burke is Freddie Page in Terence Rattigan’s play filled with a brutal sense of loss and longing.
When Hester Collyer is found by her neighbors in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, the story of her tempestuous affair with a former Royal Airforce pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge begins to emerge. With it comes a portrait of need, loneliness and long-repressed passion.
The National Theatre continues its series of free streaming amid the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to support this vital resource for the cultivation and presentation of live theater.
Available through July 16.