Daphne DuMaurier's novel, written in 1938, was almost immediately adapted into an iconic film by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Joan Fontaine, Lawrence Olivier and Judith Anderson, and has been adapted multiple times since (including two further film adaptations, most recently a Netflix one in 2020), 8 TV adaptations, for stage three times (one play by DuMaurier, one musical and one opera), and with three associated novels approved by the DuMaurier estate. It's a gothic in the style of the Brontes, with a grand country estate, a creepy housekeeper, and a leading man who these days comes across less as broodingly romantic and more kinda dodgy. Emma Gibson's update is modern, urgent, driven and uses the original cleverly, bringing out the mysteriousness and doubling down on the dodgyness of the leading man, letting the implications play through to a shatteringly powerful ending.
Michelle Cooper is the sole performer as the unnamed narrator (keeping this feature from the original) - this time a modern young woman, uncertain of herself and brought into a situation that grows increasingly perilous. She's a skilled narrator, embodying the various figures of the story well, and we see her develop as the signs become increasingly obvious that something is deeply wrong with the man who's taken her off to his remote property, and her increasing isolation has a distinctly threatening undercurrent that eventually becomes an overcurrent. It's a well paced performance that draws you in before bringing out the dark realities that underly the story.
Daniel McCusker's set, lighting and sound gives the space simplicity and adaptability - not-too-cluttered and not so basic that it feels bare.
A great case for engaging with a classic story with modern eyes distinctly open to how this holds up in the modern world, making clever choices. It's a show that should absolutely be seen while it's here (or wherever else it ends up - this is a show that is strong enough that it should have a long afterlife).
No comments:
Post a Comment