Last Friday night Stuart and I went to see The Years at Almeida Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.
It is a vivid, moving memory/memoir play with music that celebrates the astonishment of being alive depicting one woman's seemingly normal life in France, from the post-war period to the present day.
Five extraordinary actresses portray the woman at various points in her life in this stunning stage adaptation of Annie Ernaux's The Years.
Deborah Findlay, Romola Garai, Gina McKee, Anjli Mohindra, and Harmony Rose-Bremner - the superb ensemble – are charismatic, fierce, playful and it feels like their personalities are being intermingled with that of Ernaux.
The play certainly doesn't shy away from the rawer parts of life either - one audience member fainted during a scene where a younger Ernaux has an abortion. It is probably the show’s most gruelling moment but it would be a shame if you thought The Years is deliberately challenging. In fact it’s a fun and funny couple of hours, brilliantly directed by Eline Arbo.
In an early scene an adolescent Ernaux (played by Mohindra) discovers the joys of wanking; the other actors form an awkward protective barrier around her as she gets to noisy work on herself, a flustered McKee trying to continue the story. It's hilarious.
There's music too. The quintet perform magnificent versions of Taylor Dayne's ‘Tell It To My Heart’, Desireless’s ‘Voyage, Voyage’, and Pink Floyd's ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’.
A great night out. A moving play. A funny play.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.