This was a theatrical experience of two parts. The first part was very weak –as storytelling, as engaging theatre, with involving characters. There was no energy coming from the stage and it was excessively over-expository – although obviously a fair degree of responsibility must be laid at the author’s door – but also the adaptor in perhaps not being radical enough in how they told the story and being too c careful to try and cover everything. Could not other theatrical techniques have been used other than a constant stream of self-expository characters? As with many remediations, there was a mistaken belief thath one should be ‘true to the original’ I think when one can and should be more radical when remediating a work in a different format. Make use of the unique characteristics of that new format and do not be hidebound by exactly how the story is told in the original work.
However a big melodramatic reveal at end of Part 1 made it suddenly take off and Part 2 was tremendous, having everything that Part 1 lacked. There was great narrative drive, vivid personal interactions and lot of energy.
The staging was very restrained (few props, very muted colours usually black and white but also a faint sickly green) but very imaginative. A particularly fine example was in Part 2 with the drowning of villain centre stage brilliantly achieved with semi-translucent plastic sheets enveloping them. The use of gantries of overhead lights that gently rose and fell representing the central River Thames image was very powerfully effective. The Thames was constantly referenced and was the main character as on, around and in it the events happened.
The much-vaunted songs were NOT a plus. Surely a song in a show should either allow a character to reflect/communicate their emotions or advance the plot; these did neither and it would have been good idea to project the song words as surtitles as very often they were not at all clear. The musical style too was very dreary with repetitive, rather droning minimalist melody arcs and an equally dully repetitive musical background.
Finally, however, it was pretty good theatre but it needs work – get rid of songs and tighten up and be more creative with how you deal with Part 1!