THE HANGOVER REPORT – He said, she said: The Almeida’s stylishly-staged THE HUNT throws its two cents into the conversation

Tobias Menzies, Raphael Casey, and the company of the Almeida Theatre’s production of “The Hunt” at St. Ann’s Warehouse (photo by Teddy Woolf).

It’s a been a busy few weeks of “he said, she said” in New York theater. Indeed, plays about allegations of sexual abuse and their resulting incriminations are in the midst of speaking their mind at theaters across the city. Just last week, WP Theater and PlayCo’s stark co-production of Munich Medea: Happy Family by Corinne Jaber ended its limited run. Additionally, currently in previews on Broadway is the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of John Patrick Shanley revival of Doubt. And rounding out the conversation is Almeida Theatre’s production of The Hunt, which is currently in the midst of performances at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

Together, these plays create a fascinating dialogue on the delicate topic, offering audiences different perspectives and arguments. In contrast to the didactic #MeToo solidarity of Munich Medea, The Hunt – adapted for the stage by David Farr after Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm’s 2012 Oscar-nominated foreign film Jagten – is a cautionary tale about the dangers of witch-hunting behavior and the over-zealous false accusations it can potentially lead to. As such, The Hunt in many ways calls to mind such stage classics as Miller’s The Crucible and Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Which brings us to Shanley’s Tony-winning Doubt, a work generates its potency in the grey territory between black and white (the Broadway revival officially opens later this week).

Let’s turn our attention back to The Hunt. Farr’s adaptation is tense and compelling, if a tad overpowered by the stylish, ritualistic staging by Almeida artistic director Rupert Goold. The visual centerpiece of the production is Es Devlin’s captivating minimalist set — a brilliantly lit miniature rotating house that impresses upon the view a sense of claustrophobia and tightly held secrecy. As for the performances, they’re largely compelling, starting with Tobias Menzies in the central role of Lucas, a stoic school teacher whose frustratingly impenetrable veneer is the unlikely catalyst for both attraction and suspicion among the townspeople.

RECOMMENDED

THE HUNT
Off-Broadway, Play
St. Ann’s Warehouse / Almeida Theatre
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 24

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply