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A big cat that never quite shines
Moon Tiger Malvern Theatres ** ONE of the main problems with taking a
hugely popular novel and adapting it to stage is how you transform it
for a different type of media. This version of Penelope Lively's novel
unfortunately hasn't been adapted well enough for theatre and what we
end up with, as an audience, is being talked at endlessly with far too
little action. It journeys through the life of Claudia, a
headstrong intellectual woman whose "history of the world" includes
reporting on World War Two in Egypt, not being the best mother, having a
dubiously close relationship with her brother and ultimately, a cancer
patient. The narrative is recounted to us but not
dramatised, which means we don't get to really know or understand the
various characters that come in and out of our heroine's life. Some storylines, like that of a Hungarian student
Lazlo for example, are too brief and hang in the air under-developed
without any real meaning. It also makes it hard to warm to Claudia or care
about what happens to her during this extremely slow-moving two hour
performance. It's a shame because there's a strong cast. Jane
Asher is suitably sturdy in the lead role and the supporting actors
around her slip between varying roles impressively. Unfortunately, despite the novel's potential for
fast-moving action, intense emotion and human interaction, this
translation to stage is stagnant and disappointing. To 08-02-14 Alison Brinkworth
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