Three plays starring Zoë you can stream today

17 January 2022 19:41

We’re incredibly fortunate that some of Zoë’s performances on stage over the years have been filmed.

HereÂ’s a trio of plays to enjoy right now...

1. All My Sons from Digital Theatre

It’s summer 2010 and a revival of Arthur Miller classic All My Sons is wowing West End audiences at the Apollo Theatre. ‘David Suchet and Zoë Wanamaker are astonishing’, declares Time Out magazine amid a sea of glowing reviews for this powerful play, directed by Howard Davies.

All My Sons takes place in a well-to-do American neighbourhood just after World War II. Zoë and her co-star play grief-stricken Kate and Joe Keller, whose son, Larry, is believed to have been killed in the conflict. Kate desperately clings to the hope that her boy will return. How will she and Joe react when they discover Larry’s ex-fiancée is now in love with their other son?

The ensuing confrontations expose painful secrets.

Zoë and David Suchet both won WhatsOnStage Awards for their stunning performances in this nail-bitingly tense drama. If you think you can handle the tension (!), stream All My Sons from Digital Theatre. There’s the option to rent the play for 48 hours or watch it as part of a subscription package.

Check out the clips on YouTube for a taste of what to expect.

2. The Cherry Orchard from National Theatre at Home

Another revival of a theatrical big-hitter, this time a drama by Chekhov, graced the National Theatre’s Olivier stage the following year. The Cherry Orchard was also directed by Howard Davies and starred Zoë as a spirited Russian aristocrat, Madame Ranyevskaya.

Ranyevskaya returns to her family home and beloved cherry orchard, having frittered away much of her fortune abroad. The noblewoman seems unable to comprehend the danger of her perilous financial position as Russia edges towards its 1917 revolution.

Zoe’s insightful, moving portrayal of beleaguered Ranyevskaya was highly acclaimed. As the Guardian newspaper’s review noted, ‘Zoe Wanamaker plays Ranyevskaya excellently as a woman who combines utter financial recklessness with a fierce emotional intelligence’.

The performance of The Cherry Orchard that took place on 30 June 2011 was broadcast live in cinemas around the world as part of National Theatre Live (I remember it well!).

You can stream that performance from National Theatre at Home, either by renting the play for 72 hours or subscribing to the service.

3. Constellations from Donmar On Demand

Last summer, Zoë starred in a dazzling modern classic from the Donmar Warehouse: Constellations by Nick Payne, directed by Michael Longhurst. For this West End revival at the Vaudeville Theatre, she and Peter Capaldi portrayed quirky quantum physicist Marianne and awestruck beekeeper Roland. Audiences experienced multiple versions of their relationship as the plot played with the concept of multiple realities.

Appropriately enough, Constellations had multiple casts. Zoë and her co-star were one of four pairs of actors taking on this intense, funny, poignant play.

In its five-star review of Constellations, BroadwayWorld UK emphasised that in the role of Marianne ‘Wanamaker is brilliant; needy, intelligent, neurotic and desperate for control. As she confronts her own mortality, Wanamaker shows a huge range of emotion, from desperation to quiet acceptance.’

If you fancy journeying through the multiverse with Zoë and Peter Capaldi, you can stream Constellations from Donmar On Demand until 31 January. Choose between renting the play for 24 hours or renting it alongside the other casts’ performances for 14 days.

perma-linktweet this