It would be ridiculous to call it a song cycle.
I can pick all kinds of holes in the writing, but at the Old Vic it worked for me, and I was moved by it. It's a mood piece, though, and very dependent on chemistry/atmosphere/whatever you want to call it, and word of mouth from friends who've seen it elsewhere - in the West End, in Toronto, and at the Public - suggests rather strongly to me that they haven't managed to recapture what made it so special at the Old Vic in other productions. In particular, while they've cast really good performers in those roles in subsequent productions, I get the impression that Shirley Henderson and - in particular - Sheila Atim brought something to it that their replacements haven't quite matched.
(Ms. Atim won the Olivier over some very stiff competition, and deserved to. She was quite remarkable.) |
