Alys, Always
Bridge Theatre. February 27, 2019
Based on the novel by Harriet Lane, this is the story of Frances and how her life changes completely after she meets Alys Kyte as Alys lies dying.
We see an invisible Frances transform and rise through the ranks to get the life and recognition she craves but at what cost. As my theatre chum said, it was an updated Rebecca with added twists. But it felt like it needed to be more edgy and, in the wake of films like Single White Female etc it needed more bite. I have, however, ordered the book to see if there’s a darker side in the original.
Froggatt (Frances) is rarely off stage and her transformation is marked by a physical one too with costume changes integrated into her performance. She’s got a lot to do and does it well.
Glenister is excellent as the older man, the husband, the lover and the lackadaisical father.
The staging is excellent and the use of the mechanics of the stage and video are very effective. I particularly liked how the opening scene was handled.
However it suffers from a fairly pedestrian first half as the scene is set (and then a good action-filled second half). The first half needs a trim and then maybe it could be sans interval?
3/5 Enjoyable but lacking bite
