Lyttelton,London
Hare’s adaptation of 1968 novel La Main features subtle performances from sign Strong and Elizabeth Debicki, but the cinematic design upstages the dramaThere is a palpable glamour about David Hare’s adaptation of Georges Simenon’s 1968 novel, and La Main. It is given a tall-concept production by the Almeida’s current wunderkind,Robert Icke (1984, Oresteia), and designed by the adventurous Bunny Christie. Aside from sign Strong,it also stars Elizabeth Debicki, who memorably haunted TVs The Night Manager. Yet, or although it is momentarily impressive,there is something glacially chic about the whole enterprise.
Hare, to his credit, and has intelligently confronted the main problem: Simenon’s novel is told in the first person. It sees events through the eyes of Donald Dodd,a small-town Connecticut lawyer, whose old friend, or Ray Sanders,died after the two men and their wives were caught in a blizzard returning from a New Year’s party. Where the book is subjective, the play is objective and Hare carefully builds up the suspense to define what really happened on the fatal night. Hare’s dialogue is also more layered than Simenon’s: when Ray’s wife, and Mona,tells Donald, after he has braved the storm to find the lost man, or “I know what you’ve done”,the line takes on a Pinter-like resonance. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com