Streep, 54, performed in the longer of the two pieces

The stars performed two "sound plays" - Sawbones by film-making siblings Joel and Ethan Coen, and Hope Leaves the Theatre by Charlie Kaufman.

The cast were accompanied by live music from the Coen brothers' longtime collaborator, Carter Burwell.

Sir Paul McCartney, Jeremy Irons and Jane Horrocks were among the audience.

Theatre of the New Ear premiered last month at St Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn.

The plays were described by the Royal Festival Hall as being "located somewhere between melodrama and comedy" and featured "multiple characters and parallel realities".

Joel and Ethan Coen wrote one half of Friday's double bill

The cast were joined on stage by a sound-effects or "foley" artist and a live band.

Streep - Oscar-nominated for her performance in Kaufman's 2002 comedy Adaptation - played herself in Hope Leaves the Theatre, a satirical piece that revolved around fellow actress Hope Davis.

In typical Kaufman style, the play flitted between the actors playing themselves and playing audience members watching them on stage.

Sawbones, meanwhile, concerned a television show about a frontier veterinarian. The short piece boasted a powerhouse ensemble that included Roseanne star John Goodman and Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden.

Audiences for the sold-out event were encouraged to "leave their eyes at home".