"The Best Seat in the House"

16 January 2025

85s

Culture of convenience.

DAVID got his first taste of the National Theatre last year when he and Mrs DAVID went to see 'Coriolanus' (his favourite Shakespeare play, no less). This tactile commercial from director Mike Sharpe of ManvsMachine and agency Wonderhood Studios focuses on the next best way to get your NT fix: National Theatre Live.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who starred in National Theatre productions of 'After the Party' and 'Frankenstein,' walks on stage and invites viewers to take a seat—not in the NT itself, but in a cinema. That means more people than ever can have the coveted "best seat in the house" and see what all the fuss about.

Anchored by the reliable Cumberbatch's narration (beautifully rendered by Factory's Jon Clarke), the ad uses all manner of materials and practical effects to show how every performance ensnares the senses and affects the mind. Water, sand, balloons, rope, and flower petals all touch a wooden chair to remind patrons that, wherever they take a seat, the NT will deliver almost tangible quality.

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