10 Terrific Reasons to Subscribe to National Theatre at Home

Three Sisters by Inua Ellams (after Chekhov)

In his thrilling new reimagining, poet and playwright Inua Ellams shifts Anton Chekhov's classic play from 19th-century Russia to his birth country of Nigeria in 1967, on the brink of the Biafran War. Roughly speaking, both versions follow the eponymous trio as they spend their days bored and disaffected out in the country, dreaming of a return to their exciting lives in the big city. Be warned: A tale of ennui and isolation might hit a little harder in 2020!

What to look out for: The sumptuous costumes are the work of Tony winner Katrina Lindsay, whose designs can also be seen in another production on this list, Dara.

Where to watch: Three Sisters

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

Plan a Chekhov double feature with this 2011 production that looks traditional (with period costumes and a weathered wooden set that calls to mind turn-of-the-20th-century Russia) but sounds decidedly less so, thanks to a bracingly contemporary new translation by Australian playwright Andrew Upton, 54. Four-time Tony nominee Zoë Wanamaker, 71, stars as the aristocratic landowner Ranevskaya, who returns to her family's estate (and the namesake orchard) just before it is set to be auctioned off.

What to look out for: If you recognize the actor playing the businessman Lopakhin but can't quite place his face, try imagining him with no hair: Northern Irish actor Conleth Hill, 56, starred as the (bald) Lord Varys in 46 episodes of Game of Thrones.

Where to watch: The Cherry Orchard

Medea by Euripides

The Greek uber-tragedy is one of the most famous plays of all time, but this 2014 modern-dress production is somehow the first time it was staged in the National Theatre's five-decade history. Helen McCrory, 52 — who plays Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders — stars as the famously scorned wife, who plots bloody vengeance when her husband Jason leaves her.

What to look out for: Michaela Coel (Nurse) won raves for her BBC One/HBO show I May Destroy You, even landing on Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list. If you want to impress your millennial grandkids, mention that you watched Coel in this play before she hit it big.

Where to watch: Medea

Dara by Shahid Nadeem

First performed at Pakistan's Ajoka Theatre, this historic epic whisks audiences back to 1659 Mughal India during a war of succession between two sons of the emperor who built the Taj Mahal: The liberal-minded Dara, who loves the arts and mysticism, and his brother Aurangzeb, a fundamentalist hardliner. If you're a fan of British palace intrigue, you'll love this refreshing spin on the genre about a royal family with whom you might not be acquainted.

What to look out for: The immersive score by composer Niraj Chag takes inspiration from North Indian classical music and Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional singing. You can hear more of his work on Spotify.

Where to watch: Dara

Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood

Science buffs will remember back to the 2008 construction of Switzerland's Large Hadron Collider, a massive underground machine used to find the Higgs boson particle. (It's all right if you've forgotten the — excuse the pun — particulars.) This groundbreaking piece of technology serves as the backdrop for a science-filled family drama with powerhouse performances by two Olivias as polar-opposite sisters: Olivia Colman, from The Crown and The Favourite, and Olivia Williams, 52, from An Education and Rushmore.

What to look out for: Amanda Boxer, 72, who plays the sisters’ mother, is perhaps best known to American audiences for an equally maternal role: as the Ryan brothers’ mother in Saving Private Ryan.

Where to watch: Mosquitoes

Othello by William Shakespeare

This incisive 2013 production transports the action to an unnamed Middle Eastern conflict, through the simple use of desert-camo fatigues and a military barracks set. Don't worry: The Bard's words are left intact. Just how amazing are Adrian Lester, 52, as Othello and Rory Kinnear as Iago? When it came time for the prestigious Evening Standard Theatre Awards to name a best actor, they had no choice but to declare a tie.

What to look out for: Director Nicholas Hytner, 64, didn't want the military trappings to feel superficial, so he hired retired Major-General Jonathan Shaw (who spent 32 years in the British Army) to teach the cast about the ins and outs of service, even down to how to properly wear their boots and berets.

Where to watch: Othello

I Want My Hat Back by Arthur Darvill and Joel Horwood

If your grandkids come to visit and they're too young to handle a bloody Shakespearean tragedy, the National Theatre has you covered with this musical adaptation of the 2011 picture book by author and illustrator Jon Klassen. The book, which spent 48 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, tells a very simple tale: A bear loses his hat, he asks his animal friends if they've seen it, and a rabbit seems very suspicious.

What to look out for: You'll love the cleverly scrappy set design, which brings a forest to life through potted house plants and retro wallpaper.

Where to watch: I Want My Hat Back