The Go-Between - Apollo Theatre

Mercury, messenger of the gods

The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley is one of my top five favourite novels, so I was both excited and apprehensive when I saw the play advertised. Apprehensive because the book is so atmospheric, absorbing, believable, subtle and magical that it's pretty much impossible for any adaptation to do it justice. And because the poster is a little tacky, with its big close-up of Michael Crawford's anxious/contemplative face. And because it is described as a 'musical adaptation', which is enough to strike fear into any Go-Between purist's heart.

However, my concerns about the play's musical nature were allayed when I saw the piano on the stage. The music thankfully wasn't like that in a 'musical' proper (with drums, etc.), which would not have suited the story. The piano was the only instrument used. For the most part I enjoyed the music - it was beautiful and the voices were amazing - but some of the lyrics I found too unsubtle, especially those in the 'Butterfly' song about Leo's feelings towards Marian. Show, don't tell!

The rest of the set was intriguing...patches of grass growing between floorboards, a big wooden chest, floor-length 'windows' at the back of the stage. The lighting was used to great effect throughout the play to convey the different atmospheres. 1900s costumes: excellent.

The characterisation in the play was strong. I was extremely impressed with Luka Green's performance as young Leo. I thought he played the part perfectly; suitably curious and interested in his new surroundings, keenly aware that he was from a different social milieu to the Maudsleys and anxious to avoid making any embarrassing faux pas, both fascinated and frustrated by the behaviour of the adults around him, desperately wanting to impress Marian, mildly irritated by the obnoxious Marcus, independent, confident in his magical abilities...one of the things I liked about the play was the fact that it didn't gloss over Leo's 'magic', which I felt the 1971 film kind of did. The deadly nightshade scene was powerful.

I also really liked Stuart Ward as morose tenant farmer Ted Burgess. The scenes featuring him and young Leo were intense and absorbing. And I loved the special effect of Ted diving into the lake! Michael Cranfield's almost constant presence on the stage as the older Leo worked well, adding to the sense of foreboding. I thought Marian (Gemma Sutton) could have been a bit more serene and detached earlier on in the play, which would have made her later outbursts towards Leo more shocking.

My theatre companion was appalled, incensed and deeply aggrieved that the ending of this version [spoiler alert!] revealed the older Leo to be pleased that he had acted as the 'go-between'; that he considered the damaging effects of that summer's events on his life to have been worth it because he had served the pure and noble role of aiding and abetting True Love. This ending was different to that of the novel, in which the older Leo was aware that the summer's events had caused him to live less boldly than before and to limit his horizons. While I agreed with my companion that the novel's ending was far superior and made more sense, I wasn't too bothered by the play's ending. I think it can be read as the older Leo just being deluded, which makes the whole thing even more poignant...or it can just be ignored. The rest of the play up until the final minute or two was so good, one shouldn't let the final couple of minutes detract from it!

photo credit: Mercury via photopin (license)

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