Introduction When Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s one-woman play Fleabag premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013, few could have predicted the cultural phenomenon it would become. By the time it transferred to London’s Soho Theatre and then to New York, it had already garnered critical acclaim. But it was the 2019 National Theatre Live (NT Live) filmed performance—captured during its West End run at Wyndham’s Theatre—that preserved this raw, hilarious, and devastating piece of theatre for a global audience.
The NT Live recording is not merely a backup or a souvenir; it is a definitive document of Waller-Bridge’s original vision, stripped of the BBC’s second-series additions (like the Hot Priest) and focusing entirely on the primal, unfiltered journey of a young woman grappling with grief, guilt, and sexual politics in modern London. Unlike the TV series, which expanded the world to include Claire, Dad, Godmother, and a host of other characters, the stage Fleabag is a monologue. The set is minimalist: a bare stage with a single chair, a few props (a bottle of wine, a guinea pig statue, a trophy), and a lighting rig that shifts from intimate to harsh as the narrative demands. fleabag -nt live-
★★★★★ Runtime: 70 minutes (no intermission) Availability: Occasionally re-released in cinemas via NT Live; available for streaming on platforms like Amazon Prime (as of 2025, check regional availability) and for digital rental/purchase. “I want to tell you a love story. It’s about a girl who lost her best friend, and she just wanted to be loved. And she tried everything. And then she stopped.” — Fleabag The NT Live recording is not merely a