Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – In DC, two literary adaptations take to the stage, to varying results

• By drediman
• April 7, 2016
• No Comments

Putting together stage adaptations of literary works is tricky business. By its very nature, literature is an introspective genre, being unmoored, really, from time and space. On the other hand, by comparison, theater is a demonstrative form of expression; how theater-makers use space (visually and aurally) and fill time is the essence of their work. The two forms, however, have a common trait in that they both require the engagement of the imagination. Indeed, both literature and theater give us the ability to actively participate in the creation of final product by unlocking stories and worlds through our mind’s eye.

Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s mind-bending (and -blowing) stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), a co-production between Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse, and Almeida Theatre, is currently on a mini-tour of the U.S. Luckily, I was able to catch the tour’s last U.S. stop at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, DC. I had seen the piece, both adapted and directed by the talented Mr. Icke and Mr. Macmillan – two of the great young hopes of the British theatre – two years ago in London. Then, I remember being left stunned by the assaultive sensory battery of the production, one of the great stage adaptations I’ve seen in all my years of theatergoing. After seeing it again at the Lansburgh, I confirm this belief. What makes Mr. Icke and Mr. Macmillan’s ingenious shock and awe adaptation so thrillingly provocative is its ability to translate the novel’s sense of paranoia, tension, and menace in purely theatrical terms. I quite literally had a physical reaction to the dystopic world they’ve created. This 1984 is a purely visceral interpretation that’s been impeccably executed thanks to a crack design and technical team and a fearless band of actors.

Unfortunately, over at Theater J, the world premiere of Derek Goldman’s immersive theatrical adaptation of David Grossman’s novel Falling Out of Time (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), feels lost at sea, especially when compared to the edgy, focused brilliance of Mr. Icke and Mr. Macmillan’s 1984. The problem with Mr. Goldman’s surreal take on Mr. Grossman’s parable-like tale – which depicts a town’s grieving over its lost children – is its lack of tension, momentum, and shape. Over the course of nearly 90 monotonous and precious minutes, a dull mourning permeates the production that’s more numbing than enlightening. Kudos, however, to a game cast and Mr. Goldman’s immersive concept (the play takes place onstage, as well as among the audience). It strikes me that perhaps Falling Out of Time benefits more from being on the page, where one can meditate on the story’s expansive sadness.

1984
Regional, Play
Shakespeare Theatre Company, in association with Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse, and Almeida Theatre (Washington, DC)
1 hour, 45 minutes (no intermission)
Through April 10

FALLING OUT OF TIME
Regional, Play
Theater J (Washington, DC)
1 hour, 25 minutes
Through April 17