Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Fleabag Live’ on Prime Video, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Original Stage Show

Before it was a critically acclaimed, zeitgeist-grabbing, international hit, Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s Fleabag was a one-woman show that took the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by storm. Last year, Waller-Bridge resurrected the original stage show for the West End and off-Broadway, and her performance was filmed by NT Live. Now SoHo Theatre and Amazon Prime Video are teaming up to offer “Fleabag for Charity” to help those in need during the current crisis. We know that the one-woman show works as a TV show, but does the stage show work on film? 

FLEABAG (NT LIVE): STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Fleabag opens on a nameless woman played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge running late for a job interview. After a comical misunderstanding with the interviewer, who is played by a disembodied voice, we switch to the meat of the show: a long, stream-of-consciousness monologue in which “Fleabag” explains her messy, sex-obsessed, grief-stalked life.

As in the first season of the hit TV show, the lead character is struggling to keep her guinea pig-themed café open in the wake of her best friend Boo’s accidental suicide. Her boyfriend Harry dumps her, setting her off on a series of sad and horny encounters, and she has to deal with her fractured family. Again, as in the show, her mother has passed away from breast cancer. Her father has started dating her godmother and her sister Claire is being pulled between a dream job in Finland and a skeevy husband Martin.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Uh, it will remind you of…Fleabag??? Because it’s the source material for…Fleabag.

Performance Worth Watching: So much has been made of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s talents in recent years that you might start to think that she’s been overrated. However, what the live version of Fleabag illustrates is that it’s possible that Waller-Bridge has been underrated.

It’s not just that it’s incredible to see how Phoebe Waller-Bridge adjusted and expanded her original show for the TV series, but as someone who’s been lucky enough to see the stage show live, Waller-Bridge’s magnetic live performance still works in this video recording. Though the sparse set is a little disconcerting at first, within minutes, Waller-Bridge is able to transport you emotionally, visually, and viscerally into Fleabag’s world. That’s not just great writing, but a once-in-a-generation level of charisma.

Memorable Dialogue: Perhaps no line better encapsulates Fleabag than her early admission: “I’m not obsessed with sex, I just can’t stop thinking about it.”

Sex and Skin: Visually, the only skin we get is the famous gag where Waller-Bridge accidentally lifts up her sweater, not realizing she doesn’t have a camisole top on underneath. But this show is nonstop horny. Waller-Bridge is incessantly talking about sex in the best and worst ways possible. (Seriously, this script is clearly a pre-#MeToo relic.)

Our Take: While we’re sorry to say that there are no references to any Hot Priests, Fleabag (NT Live) is true marvel to watch. Between Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s masterpiece of a script and her incandescent performance, this bare-boned production somehow manages you to transport you from your couch into the psyche of a broken, horny, confused young woman. While it can’t compare to experiencing the show live, it is the next best thing.

Furthermore, it’s something of a must-watch for Phoebe Waller-Bridge completists. Not only is it the inception of her fabulous career, but it stands as something of a manifesto for the work she does: funny, tragic, and totally honest despite the cost.

Our Call: Stream it! It’s a brilliant piece of theater and you’ll be helping people with your rental!

Where to stream Fleabag (NT Live)

Where to stream Fleabag (the TV show)