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What a powerful, moving, disturbing piece of theatre this is, or rather 'was' as it is no longer on though I feel that the encore broadcast will re-appear for some time to come (check local cinemas). The stage adaptation of this harrowing book remains true to the characters and mood of the original though, even at 204 minutes (plus a 15 minute interval), much had to be trimmed away.
James Norton (Jude) and Luke Thompson (Willem) provide an amazingly strong, engaging and credible centre to this tale bu the entire cast are at their best. Staging is effecting with the lives of characters carrying on, in real time, around the edges of the stage whilst the action takes centre stage. A continuous projection of travelling New York streets lends context and having some of the audience on stage ensure we realise this is an intimate piece. Pace is excellent and I didn't even notice how long a show it was as I was so engrossed. Music was mostly live and very effective.
Pure theatre, wonderfully realised.
p.s. the only downside for me was the decisions made in recording the show on film, it was directed almost 'as a film' rather than a record of a stage show - we did not see the show that the stage director intended, indeed, due to the close-ups, aerial shots and other camera techniques we saw a show that not even the live audiences saw. OK, this is just my opinion, but this was the most filmic of the stage broadcasts I have seen. None the less - amazing stuff.
