Reader Reviews
The Turn of the Screw (Almeida Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | At the interval I had high hopes for this adaptation of Henry James' creepy ghost story, but the second half almost completely failed to deliver. Lindsay Posner and Rebecca Lenkiewicz seem to be undecided if this should be a play with shocks like The Woman in Black or a tale of sexual repression and redemption of lost souls. The casting of the children is part of the problem; Emilia Jones is impressive for one so young but is prone to gabbling and Laurance Belcher is too old which makes his scenes with the governess far more disturbing than they need be. Anna Madeley is an actress for whom I have huge admiration and on most levels hers is an excellent performance as the governess who has to carry almost every scene but, possibly thanks to the confused direction, there is almost no sense of fear even when a ghost materialises in her bed. This always seemed an unusual choice for the Almeida and it's a shame it couldn't live up to the promise of an excellent first half. - David Baxter | 07 Mar 13 |
| I thought it was a bad adaptation and very poorly directed - full of tricks but no substance - obviously aiming to be the new Woman in Black but failig miserably - Doran Padroik | 25 Jan 13 |
| Dreadful. The acting, script and direction were all dire - the only thing to be said for it was the set! What on earth were the Almeida doing putting this on in the first place? Staggeringly over acted to the point of becoming a macabre pantomime. Surely black actors deserve to be given better material, which does not patronise or pigeon hole them, than this. And one other thing what was it with the clunky accents? It was an African 'ello 'ello. The incredibly slow response to applaud at the close of the first act tonight was a clear sign of what the audience thought of it. - rds | 21 May 10 |
