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 Northern Ballet - The Great Gatsby at Milton Keynes Theatre

This production of The Great Gatsby performed by Northern Ballet was my fifth encounter at the theatre of a full ballet production and as before, I happily share my review of the show with nearly zero knowledge of-the-art form and more of a casual theatre-goer. You could say that this is a poor direction to come in on a review, but I would say that casual audience are the ones to review this for. Over the years, Northern Ballet has set quite a high benchmark for ballet productions, and any audience member who is worth their salt as a ballet fan would no doubt have tickets for this new touring version of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby , lovingly created by David Nixon OBE. So much is Nixon part of the very fabric of this show, that he not only provides the choreography and direction but also the initial scenario and costume design (assisted by Julie Anderson). So, discounting those ballet fans already sitting in the audience, what does this offer for the more casual theatre-goer ...

Review of Murder She Didn't Write at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Murder She Didn't Write , stopping off for a four-day run at Royal & Derngate on a lengthy UK tour, treads the now well-worn path of an improvisational evening of theatre entertainment. Unsurprisingly, from the title, this show from Degrees of Error's takes a murder mystery as its inspiration, with the story influenced by ideas from the audience each evening. Due to this, Murder She Didn't Write and a review are very much an individual affair. What I saw in my evening at the theatre will differ significantly from what the audience will see the following evening; however, the fine performers will remain. The touring cast, in no particular order, is Lizzy Skrzypiec, Rachael Procter-Lane, Peter Baker, Caitlin Campbell, Stephen Clements, Douglas Walker, Harry Allmark, Rosalind Beeson, Sylvia Bishop, Emily Brady, Alice Lamb, Sara Garrard, Peta Maurice and Matthew Whittle. For my performance, Skrzypiec, Procter-Lane, Baker, Walker, Bishop, and Clements were on stage alongsid...

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

Seeing the 46-year-old Rocky Horror Show at the theatre for the first time is quite an experience on many levels. First and foremost as a regular theatregoer, the audience, even on a relatively demure evening of a Monday, is something you would never really experience at a theatre beyond this show. Many are dressed up (even on that demure Monday), and so many are so in tune with the show, that these regular fans have become entwined within it. They know every word of the script, they contribute to it, they enhance it, often they make Richard O'Brien's already adult content into something much more adult. It's a revelation of experience, much before a newbie such as myself even considers the show. Laura Harrison's beautifully clear rendition of Science Fiction/Double Feature sets the scene for some generally excellent performances of O'Brien's classic tunes, in a musical which is clearly audible, sadly not something that always happens with many productio...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog