Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s theater production of “Fleabag” has already raised more than $1 million for charities and the performance’s availability on Amazon Prime Video has been extended through May 31.
Waller-Bridge’s one-woman “Fleabag” theater performance was first released online in early April, with access throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland via Soho Theatre’s On Demand website and in the United States via Amazon Prime Video, with proceeds going to various charities that are dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The show costs $5 to stream, with all nontaxable proceeds being split between the National Emergency Trust, NHS Charities Together, Acting for Others, and the Fleabag Support Fund, which supports theater, comedy, and cabaret freelancers who are unable to work due to the pandemic.
The show’s producers, DryWrite, Soho Theatre, and Annapurna Theatre announced the streaming extension on Friday and noted that the $1 million dollars raised for charity came from audiences who streamed the play in over 96 countries. The Fleabag Support Fund is continuing to raise donations via its GoFundMe.
Waller-Bridge’s play was adapted into a two-season Prime Video series and enjoyed significant critical acclaim. IndieWire’s Ben Travers lauded the series’ Season 2 as a “towering accomplishment” in his grade-A review last year and opined that Waller-Bridge was “operating on a higher plane.” The Television Academy’s voters have had similar sentiments, as “Fleabag” won six Emmys last year and was one of the standout success stories from 2019’s awards season.
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The glowing critical reaction to “Fleabag” spawned numerous questions about a potential third season, but Waller-Bridge has stated she’d prefer to let the series end on its Season 2 high note. Maybe until she turns 50, anyway.
Regardless, Waller-Bridge will continue to be an Amazon mainstay for the next few years; she signed a $20 million overall deal with the streaming giant to produce television content for Prime Video shortly after “Fleabag” Season 2’s large Emmy haul last year.
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