OlivierAuditorium, National Theatre
John Steinbeck’s 1930s novel The Grapes of Wrath tells of a family’s trek across America lookibg for a better life it’s a grim story and this new production is faithful to it The critics were divided on whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Many praised xx’s grinding production but others were bored. Few had a good work for the old fashioned 1988 adaptation The cast were universally praised with US star Cherry Jones more than justifying her plane ticket.
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Accepting ‘there is little joy here’, JN Benjamin for the Financial Times (4★) found solace in the acting: ‘(Cherry) Jones’s tender performance is like a warm embrace‘ and ‘Harry Treadaway is quietly fierce’. Dave Fargnoli in The Stage (4★) also centred on the actors: ‘Although the production feels perhaps overly reverent towards the source material, these powerful, heartfelt performances remain absorbing, channelling the desperation, hope and fury of Steinbeck’s story.’
Fiona Mountford for i-news (4★) said, ‘Carrie Cracknell’s sweeping and epic production of stylishly sculpted ensemble work…makes us uncomfortably, insistently aware of the modern-day parallels’. Julia Rank at LondonTheatre (4★) spoke of ‘a brilliantly striking production’ coupled with ‘a superb ensemble’. Claire Allfree in the Telegraph talked about a ‘stealthily exacting production’.
Nick Curtis in The Standard (3★) worried ‘the melodramatic scenarios and the stylised dialogue threaten to tip over into parody’. Fortunately it was saved by ‘the elegance of Cracknell’s direction and Alex Eales’ set’. He found it ‘lacking in drama’ but said the cast ‘remain compelling to watch’. The Independent’s Alice Saville (3★) declared, ‘It’s brutal, powerful stuff. But somehow this production still doesn’t have the aesthetic or thematic boldness to link together its two halves’.
Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out (3★) said, ‘It’s not awful or anything, but its reverence for Steinbeck’s text – and determination to retain most of his characters and much of his dialogue – leaves it feeling like a radio play’. He added helpfully, ‘Great story, great cast, great accents; but it’s not Cracknell’s most imaginative hour by a long shot – a fresh adaptation might have made all the difference.’
The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar (3★) found it lacking in boldness. ‘Slow-paced and with a lack of incident in the first half, it feels more like a stately procession than a moving, breathing piece of theatre,’ she said. Cindy Marcolina at Broadway World (3★) called it ‘so, so slow and stagnant’
Alun Hood for WhatsOnStage (3★) summed up: ‘For all the astonishing and sometimes beautiful stage pictures, the understated brilliance of Jones’s performance, and the haunting musicality, I’m not convinced that this isn’t a story that is better told on page or screen.’
The Times’ Dominic Maxwell (2★) made his feelings clear: ‘What a miserable evening!’ Susannah Clapp in The Observer (2★) was equally scathing: ‘it is hard to feel the need for this theatrical version’.
Critics’ Average Rating 3.2★
Value rating 36 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price.)
The Grapes of Wrath can be seen at the National Theatre until 14 September 2024. Click here to buy tickets directly from the theatre
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