Phoebe Waller-Bridge says the stage play for Fleabag is ‘darker’ than the TV show

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is helping to raise funds for frontline staff working during the coronavirus crisis by making Fleabag’s stage show available to stream.

Making an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s A Late Show With Stephen At Home on Thursday, the award-winning writer, 34, warned that the production was ‘a little bit darker’ than the TV show. 

Made available on Amazon Prime in the US and Soho on Demand in Canada in the UK for £4, or $5, Phoebe explained: ‘It’s a 70 minute monologue by me, if you can bare it, and its basically the origins of the TV show. 

‘It’s a little bit darker, little bit weirder, little bit ruder than the show,’ she warned.

Phoebe went on to talk of her desire to make the show available, and said: ‘Me and the Fleabag team came together and basically discussed how we could help the community and just raise money.

‘We had in our back pockets the National Theatre Live recording of the play in the West End last year, that was screened in cinemas but it has never been on TV and was not streamed or anything.

‘Everybody banded together and everyone waived their fees, all the producers got involved and Amazon got on board and so did theatre on demand, and we have now managed to put this show online.

For a good cause: Made available on Amazon Prime in the US and Soho on Demand in Canada in the UK for £4, or $5, Phoebe explained: ‘It’s a 70 minute monologue by me, if you can bare it’

‘This one-off show can be streamed for a minimum of £4, which I think is $5, and all the proceeds go to charities working to support people on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.’

Stephen admitted he had been sent a copy of the stage show, but hadn’t watched it yet as his daughter told him he could only ‘watch it by yourself but you cannot watch it with your children, because it’s a little darker, a little rougher.’

When asked why this was the case, Phoebe said: ‘It really delves into the psychology more because it’s a monologue, there’s a lot more of her point of view and the harsher perspective she has on the world.

‘It’s sort of hard [to explain], she’s sexually candid but she uses it as a way to control the energy in the room rather than the cheekier element in the show. 

Candid: Stephen admitted he had been sent a copy of the stage show, but hadn’t watched it yet as his daughter told him he could only ‘watch it by [himself]’ because it was so much darker

‘It’s all tied into her psychology and her own lack of self worth and all that, but in the show she’s a lot spikier so her perspectives on the world and people she believes that everybody values her and everyone else by how attractive they are, and shes a porn addict, and you find out a lot more of the darker corners of her psychology.’

Phoebe went on: ‘There’s also a couple of more uncomfortable events that happen to other characters in the show at the end, one character in particular, so if you want to enjoy that for $5, by yourself absolutely no family around. 

like ourselves are finding ways to entertain people and find ways to raise money and with this we thought we might have an opportunity to do both. 

‘Darker’: When asked why this was the case, Phoebe said: ‘It really delves into the psychology more because…there’s a lot more of her point of view and the harsher perspective she has’

‘Now its on Amazon Prime we can say as well as the money we’re raising going to the NHS in the UK we are also giving some money to Broadway Cares, which is a charity in the US that raises money for those working in the theatre community, those who potentially lose jobs and prospects and everything. 

‘It’s important to remember the theatre community isn’t just the glitz and glamour of the West End,’ she added.

‘We always think its glamorous for some but actually its companies up and down the country working so hard to bring communities together, its people putting on plays in schools, its the behind the scenes, the technicians, the set builders, the box office people, everybody there is there working together to create this community that we have. 

Thoughts: Phoebe went on: ‘There’s a couple of more uncomfortable events that happen to other characters… so if you want to enjoy that for $5, by yourself absolutely no family around’

‘That’s where fleabag started, and we were so embraced in new york so we wanted to give back in this time.’

Fleabag fans will be able to stream the one-woman performance on Soho Theatre’s On Demand from April 6 in the UK and Ireland for the price of £4. 

Following its launch, Fleagbag will then be available in American on Amazon Prime Video as well as Canada and New Zealand from April 10. 

Fundraiser: As well as help raise money for the NHS, funds will also go to Broadway Cares which will help to support theatre staff from all sectors in the US