Post by Steve on Oct 30, 2024 19:05:11 GMT
Saw this in Guildford this afternoon and really enjoyed it, getting immersed in Sebastian Faulks's epic Love Story/War Story all over again.
Faulks himself does the "Put your phones away" message lol, so this production definitely has his imprimatur.
The script is the same one Trevor Nunn did in the West End, but apparently Rachel Wagstaffe has done further work on it since then.
Sone spoilers follow. . .
Even at 3 hours (including 2 intervals), it is a tiny bit disjointed to move from 1910 romance to World War so abruptly between Acts 1 and 2 (the TV miniseries with Eddie Redmayne was able to sidestep this problem by opening with brutal WW1 trenches and constantly intercutting with dreamy 1910 Amiens), but LAMDA graduate, James Esler does a fantastic job of bridging the disconnect by portraying a man, Stephen Wraysford, growing up on stage before our eyes. He is a wonderful lead because he always seems to be thinking, and it's always clear what he's thinking.
As his great enigmatic adulterous love, Isabelle, Charlie Russell (it took me some time to realise that such a key part of Mischief Theatre history was going to be dead serious lol) successfully portrays a woman experiencing a wringer of taut emotions.
And Max Bowden, my highlight, totally dominates as Jack Firebrace, a man who seems to live and breathe the trenches, singing to gee himself up, wistfully musing on his family, sweating the small stuff and then sweating the hard stuff as well. His relationship with Esler's Wraysford is as key as the love affair, and it hits just as hard.
This does what it says on the tin, utilising an across-the-board fantastic ensemble, including personal favourite Sargon Yelda, in smaller roles: it succeeds in adapting a classic novel for a single sitting and it makes you feel WWI. 4 stars from me.
PS: This was in Richmond 4 weeks ago (Anyone see it then? Did I miss a pre-existing thread?), continues in Guildford this week, is in Chichester next week, and does the rounds before concluding in Aberdeen next year.
Faulks himself does the "Put your phones away" message lol, so this production definitely has his imprimatur.
The script is the same one Trevor Nunn did in the West End, but apparently Rachel Wagstaffe has done further work on it since then.
Sone spoilers follow. . .
Even at 3 hours (including 2 intervals), it is a tiny bit disjointed to move from 1910 romance to World War so abruptly between Acts 1 and 2 (the TV miniseries with Eddie Redmayne was able to sidestep this problem by opening with brutal WW1 trenches and constantly intercutting with dreamy 1910 Amiens), but LAMDA graduate, James Esler does a fantastic job of bridging the disconnect by portraying a man, Stephen Wraysford, growing up on stage before our eyes. He is a wonderful lead because he always seems to be thinking, and it's always clear what he's thinking.
As his great enigmatic adulterous love, Isabelle, Charlie Russell (it took me some time to realise that such a key part of Mischief Theatre history was going to be dead serious lol) successfully portrays a woman experiencing a wringer of taut emotions.
And Max Bowden, my highlight, totally dominates as Jack Firebrace, a man who seems to live and breathe the trenches, singing to gee himself up, wistfully musing on his family, sweating the small stuff and then sweating the hard stuff as well. His relationship with Esler's Wraysford is as key as the love affair, and it hits just as hard.
This does what it says on the tin, utilising an across-the-board fantastic ensemble, including personal favourite Sargon Yelda, in smaller roles: it succeeds in adapting a classic novel for a single sitting and it makes you feel WWI. 4 stars from me.
PS: This was in Richmond 4 weeks ago (Anyone see it then? Did I miss a pre-existing thread?), continues in Guildford this week, is in Chichester next week, and does the rounds before concluding in Aberdeen next year.
