Rebecca, adapted
by Emma Rice and performed by KneeHigh Theatre.
CONTAINS SPOILERS (FOR THE PLAY AND BOOK)
Rebecca is my favourite
book and so of course when I heard that Kneehigh Theatre were putting on a
production of Rebecca, I was intrigued
– but also concerned. That’s always the way when your favourite book is being
adapted for stage and anything could happen.
Before the day rolled around, I heard opposing accounts of
the production, so naturally I was apprehensive.
There was no need.
While the adaptation was perhaps not what I expected, in
many ways it was better. So much better. I can’t remember the last time I
walked out of a theatre thinking, ‘I need to go again.’ In fact, I didn’t want
to get out of my seat – I wanted to stay and wait for the evening show (we went
to a matinee). I wasn’t expecting it to be that good, and as a long term du
Maurier fan, I was delighted.
This was not the straight forward Rebecca adaptation that you’ve seen before. This was so much more. But
if you had told me that Rebecca with
sea shanties, musical instruments, comedy, and a puppet dog would actually be
good, then I would have laughed. But it was so fantastic and so clever.
To start with, the amount of detail that went into the production
was staggering. From the curling R monographs in the staircase and on the
vases, to the lines lifted directly from the original book and so much more.
The set itself was spectacular and really cleverly created
to reflect both the beach and Manderley itself. Rebecca’s boat, Je Reviens, was part of the set
itself, meaning that Rebecca’s body and her boat was present on set throughout
the whole play (until the end, when the ghost of her is FINALLY shaken off),
echoing that ghostly sense that is present throughout the book.
The casting was pretty perfect too. The actress who played
Mrs de Winter was pretty much how I imagined her and she played the role
perfectly, showing all the anxiety and uncertainty that the character has, before
the transformation later on after Maxim has confessed. The other roles were
well cast – and I particularly enjoyed the casting of Robert, the footman who
gained a greater role – and a comedy one at that – in the play. It was
fantastically handled and showed how life would have continued on in the house,
despite this tragedy lurking in the background.
The story told in the play took the essential elements of the
story and kept the core heart and feeling. Lighter moments were inserted and
they worked well – coming particularly from Robert, Beatrice, and Jasper the
dog, played by a puppet. It sounds ridiculous, but it was very clever and well
done. There were great comedic moments too, which sounds odd, but it was done very well and just worked.
The music worked well too, and I loved the atmospheric songs
sung by the cast. It really fitted the mood and atmosphere. All in all, it was
really sharp, clever, and all consuming. I couldn’t – and still haven’t –
stopped thinking about it. I only wish I could have seen it a second time.
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