Photo credit: Ellie Kurts
Writer: Alexis Michalik
Translated by: Waleed Akhtar
Director: Tom Jackson Greaves
Last year, I loved Lotus Beauty at the Hampstead Theatre, so when asked to return to see the Downstairs section of the theatre – I leapt at the chance. Admittedly, I’d not heard about the success of the original French production (Alexis Michalik) which had its premiere in Paris in 2014. The translator of the French into English is Waleed Akhtar (The P Word), who did a fine job using the source material; though this production’s flaws were sadly not to do with the text nor performances from individuals but the presentation to the audience.
At times, the strands of narrative are hard to understand and where their plot seems to be going. As a viewer, it was my own interest in the the main storyline of December and April that I felt the piece could have built more on think. The writing, however, was searing and lifted the performances. The energy of the cast members showed to be ecstatic, and they gained laughs on the comic moments – in particular cast member Rina Fatania whose Midlands (regional) accent was a delight to the ears. Can someone provide her with a one-woman show? As she deserved a platform for the superb comedic timing, hilarity and ability to convey various regional UK accents.
Overall, the thing I feel let this down was the missed directional opportunities, and a convoluted nature of the excess character who could well have been cut. In fact, the entire piece could have had a shaving off. I would also question the lighting being simply limited to the grey velvet curtains and could have been elevated also. The space needed to pull this off perhaps would have better suited a larger stage, and a fully realised vision from a director to showcase just how French writing may achieve more of an impact for London’s eager audiences.
Book your tickets – ends 28 Jan 2023: https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2022/the-art-of-illusion/
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