Review of Never Let Me Go at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 Never Let Me Go is a slightly difficult novel to categorise at times, but most call it a science-fiction speculative piece. With some limited spoilers for those unfamiliar with the Man Booker Prize-shortlisted work, Ishiguro paints a world where people, clones, are created for the benefit of medical science, destined to become donors to rid the world of deaths from solvable diseases for the rich. It is a powerful piece and while it had a successful film version back in 2010, could a stage version, now running at Royal & Derngate, work similarly?

The answer to that is yes, and perhaps even better than the film version. The intimate world of the theatre feels like a stronger location for the story to unfold, bringing the piece straight to the audience with no potential interruption or break to the tale. We learn of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy's (the main protagonists) fixed life through their eyes and live their life for the long, but never dragging, 140 minutes the story unfolds.

Suzanne Heathcote's play adaptation is clever and thoughtful to the Ishiguro original, taking the lead character Kathy's first-person narration and bringing it into a constantly moving piece, bringing her memories to life rather than via too much monologue. Director Christopher Haydon takes this adaptation dynamically onto the stage as well but equally allows the story to breathe in places of thoughtfulness.

As Kathy, Nell Barlow brings an incredible performance to the show, virtually never off-stage, her emotion and delivery bind the play together and you very much live her life from a child, through to her caring duties, her loves and loss. She is tremendous.

Matilda Bailes is also excellent as the initially warm Ruth, who develops a darker, manipulative path against her friends, especially that of Kathy as she grows. Completing the excellent main trio of characters is a highly enjoyable performance by Angus Imrie as Tommy, the more fun character at times, full of energy for life and his sports but hiding an inner rage that occasionally bursts through. As a trio, Barlow, Bailes and Imrie all bring superbly realised characters to the stage.

The rest of the cast is equally excellent, creating a multitude of roles bringing many of the characters from child to adult in convincing ways. Emilie Patry is quietly effective as the mysterious Madame, while Susan Aderin is dominant and kindly in equal measures as Miss Emily.

The staging is vivid, with a superb set created by Tom Piper, looking eye-catching and with the ability to change scenes crisply to reduce dormant times. Equally, there is some innovative lighting design from Joshua Carr assisting in keeping the audience knowing where they are in a constantly shifting timeline. Composer Sam Jones also creates some effective but never overpowering music that drifts through the piece.

Never Let Me Go is a brilliant piece of theatre, lovingly created from the original work and brought to the stage by a talented group of actors. Whether you are familiar with the story or new to the work, all audiences are likely to be entertained by this lovely thoughtful, and yes, powerful and emotional tale.

A superb adaptation of a thoughtful and powerful work.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Saturday 19th October 2024 (matinee) at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.

Never Let Me Go is on stage at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 26th October 2024 and continues to tour to Malvern Theatres, Bristol Old Vic, and Chichester Festival Theatre through to late November.

Never Let Me Go is a Royal & Derngate, Northampton, Rose Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Malvern Theatres co-production.

For further details about the Royal & Derngate and to book tickets see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Hugo Glendinning

Review of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

I have seen a few touring shows of extremely well known shows like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a few have been quite a disappointment. Producers sitting back happy to sell the tickets on the name of a show, and deliver on stage not necessarily a terrible production, but one that sometimes never really leaves you feeling you have got value for your money. Music & Lyrics/West Yorkshire Playhouse's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is far from one of them. An exemplary and large cast, costumes both in multitude and wonderful to look at, a set of infinite invention and a hidden but quality and large orchestra. Jason Manford as Caractacus Potts Perhaps more importantly this show also doesn't fail on its casting of "stars" over stage talent, for in the lead is Jason Manford as Caractacus Potts, an artist known for his comedy more than his acting history, and certainly little known for his singing ability, is a revelation. Likable, dominant on stage with clear chara...

Review of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Birmingham Rep

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street first appeared in this musical form in 1979. Adapted from an original play by Christopher Bond, the work was set to music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, with a book by Hugh Wheeler. It quickly became a huge success, opening on both Broadway and the West End within a year. Following Tony and Olivier wins, the show has seen revival after revival over the years, as well as a musical film starring Johnny Depp. Now, Birmingham Rep presents its own pared-back version of the show, featuring some big stars of the theatre world. So, the question is, is Sweeney Todd as razor-sharp as it once was? What is clear to all at the outset is that director Joe Murphy, also artistic director at Birmingham Rep, has assembled a remarkable and bold cast for the show. Leading as Sweeney is Ramin Karimloo, whose bio speaks for itself and is the biggest draw for this show, especially for theatres outside London. His Sweeney is a perfectly brooding affair, broken...

Review of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold at Milton Keynes Theatre

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is one of John Le Carré’s more well-known titles in his world of spy fiction, and having been adapted into a highly rated 1965 film with Richard Burton, it is perhaps surprising that it took until 2024 for this stage adaptation to appear, adapted by David Eldridge, and now at Milton Keynes Theatre. In many ways, it feels like a ripe story for a stage play, with locations and theatre folk often liking the cerebral storytelling it offers, so this should be perfect for the stage? The Spy Who Came in From the Cold depicts Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux defector to sow disinformation about Hans-Dieter Mundt, a powerful East German intelligence officer. However, as expected in the spy world, all is not as it seems, and with the lurking figure of the supposedly retired spy George Smiley in the background, Leamas finds things moving far from his control. It has to be said that Eldridge’s adaptation struggles...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog