A Room With a View is fun … but we’re told too much instead of being allowed to work it out
Our critics give the lowdown on what’s hot – and what’s not – on stages around town.
First reported 4 hours ago · latest update 4 hours ago
Belvoir St Theatre, October 7, until November 1
Knowing if you’ve fallen in lust is straightforward; knowing if you’ve fallen in love, more elusive. In E. M. Forster’s novel A Room with a View, Lucy Honeychurch is even confused by lust, so has little chance with love – at least not without wise counsel. But then, she lives in starched Edwardian England, where pretence and hypocrisy rule, and therefore, as the Reverend Mr Beebe says, “It can be so difficult to understand people who speak the truth.”
Grace Chapple’s new stage adaptation, directed by Hannah Goodwin, is a brave undertaking. In 1985, Merchant Ivory threw a galaxy of stars at their film version, and even the peerless Daniel Day-Lewis struggled as Cecil, the man with whom Lucy thinks she’s fallen in love.
Forster’s prose and view of humanity share an airiness, and his characters are cheapened by excessive caricature. Underscoring his work is a benevolence best encapsulated by Mr Emerson, a humanist and socialist who believes in maximising life’s potential.
Citations · 2 reports from 2 outlets
Tap a citation to read it above, right here on T.A.M.
A Room With a View is fun … but we’re told too much instead of being allowed to work it out
Our critics give the lowdown on what’s hot – and what’s not – on stages around town.
4 hours ago · John ShandA Room With a View is fun … but we’re told too much instead of being allowed to work it out
Our critics give the lowdown on what’s hot – and what’s not – on stages around town.
4 hours ago · John Shand