Sandra Oh in THE MISANTHROPE to be released in cinemas in September 2026
National Theatre Live has announced the release of The Misanthrope to cinemas from 22 September 2026. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, this razor-sharp new version of Molière’s classic satire, adapted by Martin Crimp, will be captured live from the National Theatre’s Lyttelton stage and stars Sandra Oh in her National Theatre debut.
Written in contemporary verse, The Misanthrope interrogates 21st-century private relationships and public debate, with Molière’s infamous misanthrope Alceste reimagined as Alice. Alongside Sandra Oh, the cast includes Paul Chahidi, Abigail Cruttenden, Imogen Elliott, Rina Fatania, Freddie MacBruce, Tom Mison, and Jemima Rooper.
Joining Indhu Rubasingham on the creative team are set and costume designer Robert Jones, lighting designer Tim Lutkin, composer Anna Meredith, sound designer Alexander Caplen, movement director Lucy Hind, casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Martin Poile CDG, and voice coach Jeannette Nelson.
Sandra Oh said: “Making my National Theatre debut in The Misanthrope and working with Indhu (Rubasingham) is incredibly special, and I’m so excited that audiences beyond the theatre will get the chance to experience this through National Theatre Live. The National Theatre is one of the great homes of theatre, and NT Live has played such an important role in sharing that work with audiences around the world, extending the life of productions and opening them up to so many more people.”
Alice, a brilliant novelist, despises the hollow contemporary mantras of kindness and respect. But the bolder she becomes in speaking out, the more colleagues avoid her, and the more her personal relationships begin to fracture. As she challenges fashionable ideas and lends her voice to causes others are afraid to touch, she faces intense criticism and backlash. Alice will soon learn the price she must pay as an artist and as a woman for daring to speak her mind.
The Misanthrope will run in the Lyttelton theatre from 16 June – 1 August.