Consumed by an uncontrollable passion for her young stepson and believing Theseus, her absent husband, to be dead, Phèdre confesses her darkest desires and enters the world of nightmare. When Theseus returns, alive and well, Phèdre, fearing exposure, accuses her stepson of rape. The result is carnage.
Helen Mirren takes the title role in this savage play by Jean Racine, translated into muscular free verse by Ted Hughes.
From the National Theatre in London, via satellite in HD.