National Theatre Live: Golden Boy

National Theatre Live brings Golden Boy to the Civic Theatre on Wednesday 16 December, a cinema screening of the stage production. It's part of the National Theatre Live series, which broadcasts performances from London to screens across the country, so you get the full show without having to fly over.

Golden Boy is set in 1930s New York, right at the height of the Great Depression. It follows Joe Bonaparte, a gifted young violinist whose future in music is derailed when a chance at fame and fortune lures him into the brutal world of professional boxing. It's a story about a man torn between two very different lives — the one he was born for and the one that offers a way out of the hardship of the era. The contrast between the violin and the boxing ring sits at the heart of it, and the 1930s New York backdrop gives it a particular kind of desperation.

Because it's a National Theatre Live screening, you're watching a recorded performance of the play on the big screen rather than a live cast on stage. It means you get the close-ups and the detail of the acting that you'd miss from the back of a theatre, and you're seeing the same production that played in London. It's a good way to catch a National Theatre show without leaving Newcastle.

The screening is on 16 December at the Civic Theatre, so it's one of those mid-week outings to keep in mind as the year winds down. You can find more details and book your tickets through the Civic's website.