There is also the advantage of close-ups which would not happen if one were in the theatre watching the play. This performance occurred at the end of April, and was filmed completely live.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Alan Bennett (the writer/director team responsible for The History Boys and The Madness of King George), this particular play, which will be showing on 19 and 22 May, was very meta - it takes place at a rehearsal of a play called Caliban's Day, about WH Auden (Richard Griffiths) and Benjamin Britten (Alex Jennings).
Unlike most actors-playing-actors movies I've seen, the acting in the mini-play was the same quality as the real play. Often, the mini-play is hammy and only done to provide some context for the drama of the real play/movie. I think if Caliban's Day were performed on its own, it would still receive critical acclaim.
Both plays were hilarious, so the poster, showing very dour and serious Griffiths and Jennings, was rather misleading. I expected a slow Death of a Salesman-esque monologue-driven reassessment of life, not a rollicking, risqué exchange of witticisms. I was pleasantly surprised.
