National Theatre Live: Travelling Light

A new play by Nicholas Wright

How had a twenty–two–year–old pretentious layabout made a discovery that would elude every other cinematic pioneer for years to come?

In a remote village in Eastern Europe, around 1900, the young Motl Mendl is entranced by the flickering silent images on his father’s cinematograph. Bankrolled by Jacob, the ebullient local timber merchant, and inspired by Anna, the girl sent to help him make moving pictures of their village, he stumbles on a revolutionary way of story-telling. Forty years on, Motl – now a famed American film director – looks back on his early life and confronts the cost of fulfilling his dreams.

Following Vincent in Brixton and The Reporter, Nicholas Wright’s new play is a funny and fascinating tribute to the Eastern European immigrants who became major players in Hollywood’s golden age. The award-winning Antony Sher – whose previous work with the National Theatre includes Primo and Stanley – returns to play Jacob.

4 STARS
"Enchanting. A golden-hearted tragicomic fable."
The Times

4 STARS
"A love letter to the movies and an appealingly intelligent evocation of the Jewish folk culture that formed the basis of American cinema."
The Guardian

Directly following the curtain call, there will be a Q&A session with director Nicholas Hytner, writer Nicholas Wright and Jason Solomons, film critic for The Observer and The Guardian taking place in London, beamed live to the Showroom. 

Theatre Club!

Make it a special occasion when you come to see National Theatre Live's production of Travelling Light by upgrading your ticket to the Theatre Club

- Join us in our private bar
- Sparkling wine reception with canapés on arrival
- Pre-order interval drinks with nibbles

£7.95 per person or £6.95 pp for Showroom Soulmate Members

National Theatre Live events are very popular, so why not avoid the rush in the bar at the interval and have your drinks served in a glass in a relaxing space for a limited number of people, while you look forward to the second half of the event.

Book your Theatre Club ticket at the Showroom Box Office, 0114 275 7727

Access to the Theatre Club is only available to National Theatre Live ticket holders.