__James Norton__ (*Happy Valley*, *Grantchester*) stars in the theatrical event of 2023 as visionary director __Ivo van Hove__ (*Network*, *Hedda Gabler*) stages the English language premiere of *A Little Life*, his acclaimed production of the million-copy bestseller by __Hanya Yanagihara__ (*To Paradise*, Booker Prize Shortlist for *A Little Life*).
The much-anticipated play also stars __Luke Thompson__ (*Bridgerton*, *Hamlet*), __Omari Douglas__ (*It’s A Sin*, *Constellations*), __Zach Wyatt__ (*The Witcher*, *I and You*), __Elliot Cowan__ (*The Crown*, *2:22 A Ghost Story*), __Zubin Varla__ (*Tammy Faye*, *Equus*), __Nathalie Armin__ (*Force Majeure*, *The Doctor*), and __Emilio Doorgasingh__ (*Best of Enemies*, *The Kite Runner*).
A LITTLE LIFE follows four college friends in New York City: aspiring actor Willem, successful architect Malcolm, struggling artist JB, and prodigious lawyer Jude.
As ambition, addiction, and pride threaten to pull the group apart, they always find themselves bound by their love for Jude and the mysteries of his past.
But when those secrets come to light, they finally learn that to know Jude St Francis is to understand the limitless potential of love in the face of life.
__Assisted performances__
Captioned: Wednesday 7th June, 7pm
Audio Described: Wednesday, 31 May 2023, 7pm
BSL: Tuesday 23rd May 2023, 7pm
Arriving, nervously, at Ivo van Hove’s three-hour 40-minute stage adaptation belonging to neither fan-base, I had no idea what to expect. But I left shaken and stirred by a production that is as involving and accurate a depiction of the long-term effects of abuse as you could expect to see – if still slightly doubtful about whether I had wanted to see it at all.
The play, inevitably can only deliver a precis of a book that sprawls over some 700 pages. Sometimes the pace reminded me of the unhappy stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Tudor epic The Mirror and the Light. The other obvious problem is that the storyline — including the bleak twist at the end — is so implausible. Strip away the gore and the gossip about Norton’s private parts, and what do you have? A stylishly mounted, second-rate melodrama.
2022 | Off-Broadway |
BAM Next Wave US Premiere Production Off-Broadway |
2023 | West End |
West End |
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