A Little Life The Play: The Masterpeice comes to life

 

Sorry it's been a while I've been dealing with a bereavement. Book content will resume soon. But first I managed to score tickets to the opening night of the adaptation of my favourite book A Little Life.

So I thought let's talk about how amazing it was and why it's a must see.

Quick spoilerless plot summary: JB, Malcom, Willem and Jude are four friends living in New York. We follow them through their lives, loves and challenges. However Jude remains a mystery with an enigmatic past and strange injuries. What happened to him and how can they help him?

This play fucking broke me in the best way possible. If you've read the book you'll know what I mean. This play is as brutal if not more than the book. The theatre actually sent out content warnings beforehand and I am begging you to follow them if you do go.

The touches to this play are perfect from the beginning the men move around the set cooking,reading and lounging before the play starts properly. It gives the play a mystique less like a piece of theatre and more like a voyeur staring into their lives.

James Norton as Jude was a revelation. He was amazing and gave a beautiful and vulnerable performance that had me in tears but also peppered with moments of happiness, joy and jokiness. He steals the show completey I cannot imagine Jude being played by anyone else. 

The other three as well were all perfect as well as if they had just jumped out of the book. From exuberent if annoying JB, enthusiastic Malcolm to the tender Willem the gangs all here.As are the two actors who play Harold and Andy (as well as all the abusive characters). Luke Thompson as Willem alongside Norton's Jude are a powerhouse perfomrance of someone who loves someone with ptsd. It's beautiful.

The trauma is protrayed realistically as are the effects and the use of screens and fake blood create harrowing moments that will never truly leave you. This play is not the faint hearted but if you stick with it you will realise in all it's bruises and complexity that it is beautiful

At the end there was a standing ovation and really that sums up my feelings to the play. This play will stick with me until I die. It's beautiful, incredible and the best play I have ever seen. If you loved the book  I can assure you this play version is as faithful to it as humanly possible while also being it's own exquisite thing all to itself.

via GIPHY