I read the book by Alice Sebold about 12 years ago on holiday, and then watched the film adaptation about a decade after; neither were fun. It’s not a fun story, though. For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s centred around the abduction, assault, and then murder of 14year old Susie Salmon. She meets her untimely death at the very beginning, and from then on you see events unfold through her eyes as, essentially, a ghost.
You see her parents react in their own ways; her father obsesses over her murderer, and her mother fall into the arms of the inspector in charge of the case. Their marriage deteriorating under the strain of what’s happened. You see her sister and younger brother get almost forgotten about amidst their parent’s anguish.
Susie’s love interest (before her brutal demise), and a girl she barely knew make a connection through because of her; emotionally, and physically…and spiritually.
Spiritually. This story delves into the unknown, too. It toys with the idea of the living and the dead being able to connect. Think Ghost, but a lot more believable.
The cast were excellent in the multiple roles they played, and it had to be pointed out to me that certain cast members played different characters. One criticism, though, was the family dog; I didn’t see how it fit into this adaptation, but I can look past that. Another..I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I think I was waiting for a bit more of an ordeal over the fate of the murderous Mr. Harvey, but maybe the idea is that he is just forgotten about, he’s nothing special, he doesn’t deserve recognition.
What stood out most for me about the play was the stage and lighting. Coming out at a 45 degree angle from the floor at the back of the stage, to the top of the front, was a giant mirror. This gave you a birds eye view of the stage throughout the performance. The mirror was also opaque when light shone behind it, meaning there was no need for any scenery changes. Props were minimal but effective – four planks of wood attached in a square for a whole in a ground, and then a window, three of the cast holding empty “floating” children’s dresses to signify Susie’s new ghost friends. Strobe lighting used to maximum effect to blind the audience for scene changes. It reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night Time.
I’d definitely recommend reading the book if you haven’t already done so, and whether you have or not, I’d also recommend the play. As I said before, it’s not fun, it’s actually rather traumatising and upsetting. It does have its heart warming moment’s, but it’s strange to say it’s refreshing to go see something that makes you come away feeling a little emotionally tired.
For tickets and more information visit www.trch.co.uk
Review by Johnny Banks
