National Theatre Live: The Authenticator

National Theatre Live: The Authenticator

This house is full of secrets.

2026 · Drama

Soon after inheriting her family's stately home, eccentric artist Fenella Harford discovers a stash of hidden diaries and enlists a young academic, Marva, to confirm their authenticity. Joined by Marva’s brilliant but overlooked mentor, Abi, the three women come together to seek the truth, soon realising that secrets at the heart of Harford Hall were darker than they could have imagined. A gripping gothic psychological thriller, The Authenticator reunites writer Winsome Pinnock with director Miranda Cromwell, following their acclaimed production, "Rockets and Blue Lights". Stage play performed at the Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, in London, UK.

Directed by Miranda Cromwell · Written by Winsome Pinnock

Your Rating

Cast

Rakie Ayola Abi
Sylvestra Le Touzel Fen
Cherrelle Skeete Marva
Phoebe Campbell Ghost Bride (voice)
Nuala McGovern Radio Presenter (voice)

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

National Theatre Live: The Authenticator

Newsies

A close match in mood and era.

More from Miranda CromwellSee all →

Half Breed

Half Breed · 2021

A new drama written by Natasha Marshall adapted from the play of the same name. It is a semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age drama about finding your voice.

National Theatre Live: West Side Story

National Theatre Live: West Side Story · 2028

National Theatre Live: West Side Story

MovieMusicDrama

A major revival of the Broadway classic playing the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre, London, UK in late 2027.

National Theatre Live: Rockets and Blue Lights

National Theatre Live: Rockets and Blue Lights · 2021

National Theatre Live: Rockets and Blue Lights

On the set of a new film about Victorian artist JMW Turner, young actress Lou is haunted by an unresolved history. Meanwhile, in 1840 Londoners Lucy and Thomas try to come to terms with the meaning of freedom. Moving between London past and present, we embark on a powerfully personal voyage through time.

This Is a Love Story

This Is a Love Story · 2021

This Is a Love Story

A new pop musical telling the 200,000 year love story between Earth and Humanity. From first sparks to today’s abusive relationship via infidelities of astronomical proportions, can Humanity make up for all the pain they’ve caused Earth? With a high-energy pop score and razor-sharp lyrics, THIS IS A LOVE STORY shines a fresh light on our relationship with the planet.

More Like This

Mississippi Burning

Mississippi Burning · 1988

Mississippi Burning

MovieDramaCrime

Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his partner, a former sheriff.

Crash

In post-Sept. 11 Los Angeles, tensions erupt when the lives of a Brentwood housewife, her district attorney husband, a Persian shopkeeper, two cops, a pair of carjackers and a Korean couple converge during a 36-hour period.

A Time to Kill

A Time to Kill · 1996

MovieCrimeDrama

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

Kinds of Kindness

Kinds of Kindness · 2024

Kinds of Kindness

MovieComedyDrama

A triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.

In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night · 1967

In the Heat of the Night

MovieCrimeDrama

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Bringing Down the House

Bringing Down the House · 2003

Bringing Down the House

MovieComedyDrama

Uptight lawyer Peter Sanderson wants to dive back into dating after his divorce and has a hard time meeting the right women. He tries online dating and lucks out when he starts chatting with a fellow lawyer. The two agree to meet in the flesh, but the woman he meets — an escaped African-American convict named Charlene — is not what he expected. Peter is freaked out, but Charlene tries to convince him to take her case and prove her innocence. Along the way, she wreaks havoc on his middle-class life as he gets a lesson in learning to lighten up.

Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights · 2004

Friday Night Lights

A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles, is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town's dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines to instill in the other team members -- and, by proxy, the town itself -- a sense of self-respect and honor.

The Tracker

The Tracker · 2002

MovieDramaHistory

Somewhere in Australia in the early 20th century outback, an Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman. Three white men are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced Indigenous man.

American Me

American Me · 1992

MovieCrimeDrama

During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits.

Places in the Heart

Places in the Heart · 1984

Places in the Heart

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run, and very little money in the bank - not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret; a blind boarder, Mr. Will; and a would-be thief, Moze, who decides to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

The Great Debaters

The Great Debaters · 2007

The Great Debaters

The true story of a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African-American college students into a historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite.

Fritz the Cat

Fritz the Cat · 1972

MovieAnimationComedy

In late 1960s New York City, fed up with monotonous college life and police repression, free-spirited Fritz, an impenitent seducer and unrestrained party-animal, decides to explore the world. And just like that, as he flees NYC, heading to San Francisco, Fritz embarks on an endless adventure of illumination. Immersed in a world surrounded by drugs and sex, Fritz participates in mad orgies, brings about a revolution, incites mass urban riots, and crosses paths with drug-addled Nazi bikers.

Cry Freedom

Cry Freedom · 1987

A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.

Newsies

Newsies · 2017

MovieMusicComedy

A week in the life of the exploited, child newspaper sellers in turn-of-the-century New York. When their publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, tries to squeeze a little more profit out of their labours, they organize a strike, only to be confronted with the Pulitzer's hard-ball tactics.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter