Bennett's People

Following its recent sold-out season at the National Theatre in London, theatre buffs can now experience this fantastic production at Cinema Nouveau as part of the NT Live broadcasts. It will be screened locally in Cape Town, Joburg and Durban on 27 and 28 April, and 1 and 2 May, and should not be missed under any circumstances.

Imaginative and incredibly funny, it features stupendous performances by Olivier Award-winning actress Frances de la Tour as Dorothy Stacpoole, an impoverished aristocrat living in a decaying stately mansion, Linda Bassett as her companion, and Selina Cadell as her sister June. Others in this stellar cast include Miles Jupp as Bevan, Nicholas le Prevost as Ralph Lumsden and Andy de la Tour who plays the Bishop.

A house is not merely a building

Another important character in the play is the stately mansion - and watching its transformation during the play is an absolute joy. You will never look at imposing historical buildings in the same way again, realising that a house is not merely a building, but most definitely a private haven where skeletons in the closet define the humanity and odd conduct of its inhabitants. People is about a family disputing the fate of their old-English manor house, and the quirky personalities who live in or have ties to it.

The people of the title are the public - and people spoil things. Dorothy bemoans the fact that there are so many of them and the last thing that you want, after all, is having to have them all traipsing through your own home. But with the garden the size of a park, but looking more like a jungle, and a bath on the billiard table, what is she to do? Dorothy's younger sister June, a gruff archdeacon, wants to hand the estate over and into the care of the National Trust. However, Dorothy favours a more creative solution ...

For this production of People, Bennett has been reunited with Nicholas Hytner and Frances de la Tour (The Habit of Art, which was broadcast as part of National Theatre Live season in 2010).

Alan Bennett is lauded as one of Britain's most celebrated playwrights and People honours the triumphant success of Bennett's The History Boys, The Habit of Art and The Madness of King George.

People is the sixth of his plays to have its premiere at the National Theatre. The recent staging of People, which was completely sold out, follows on the success of The History Boys, which transferred to Broadway and was awarded the Tony Award for Best Play in 2006. It toured internationally before being turned into a film, directed by Nicholas Hytner and with a cast including De la Tour. Bennett and Hytner also collaborated on the award-winning play and film, The Madness of King George.

The running time of People is 2hrs 20mins, and includes a 20-minute interval, as well as an insightful short film on the inspiration and creation of the play.

There are only four exclusive not-to-be-missed screenings in South Africa of People - on 27 and 28 April, and 1 and 2 May - at Cinema Nouveau. (Brooklyn Mall, Pretoria; Rosebank Mall, Joburg; Gateway, Durban; and V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)

This is theatre at its best and watching it on the big screen turns a great experience into an unforgettable one that will be remembered long after you leave the cinema. Make People a priority. You won't regret it.

Theatre buffs on Biz in Cape Town, Joburg and Durban can win tickets to see People at Cinema Nouveau on Sunday, 28 April. Go to for details.