The anticipation in the audience was tangible for Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s 2002 bestselling novel, The Lovely Bones at Kingston’s, The Rose theatre.
As the curtains went up the scale of this production was clear for all to see. The set, production and actors all supported a spellbinding representation of the novel which would have been a real challenge to stage. They used clever lighting and a limited set to gain the audiences’ attention from the start, using movement to express emotion which made us really engage with the characters. The emotional, and at times uncomfortable themes were very cleverly visualised playing with our thoughts and emotions around the story. The performance revolves around the protagonist Susie Salmon, a 14 year old girl who was brutally raped and murdered, observing the world from the vantage point of heaven. The play explores the different stages of grief her family go through when coming to terms with her passing. You could tell many people enjoyed the show, Anne Phillips, from Purley commented “it was one of the best plays I’ve seen, I would recommend it to anyone!”.
If you have the opportunity to catch a showing of The Lovely Bones you’ll be in for a real treat. Challenging dramatic theatre with strong themes, great acting and fantastic production values, it's touring until 30th November!
Chloe Shields
