The Overcoat

Our Review:

24 March 2009

Studio-based theatre, for so long the preserve of the frivolous and the makeshift, has truly come of age, bursting the seams of its former home and graduating onto main stages. By marrying grand spectacle that would sit comfortably in the West End with an integrity seldom found therein, The Overcoat proves physical theatre to have thoroughly outgrown its chrysalis.

A freely inspired telling of Gogol’s story of the same name, Gecko’s latest is a meaty mix of politics and philosophy that nourishes the eyes as much as the mind.

They twist Gogol’s tale into that of an impoverished paper-pusher, Akaky, enslaved by his nine to five routine and grappling with his own meagre existence. His run down appearance is mocked by his colleagues, such that he strives only for the new overcoat offered as a bonus by his megalomaniac boss. From his cramped single flat, Akaky concocts romantic fantasies where the coat is springboard to...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

gargar - 31 March 2009:

There's some lovely stage imagery, with excellent design and lighting, and for 15 or 20 mins you are intrigued. I'm afraid that from then on it seemed to me like an imaginative, original but repetitive and utterly pointless adaptation. After 75 minutes, it felt longer but less rewarding than King Lear......and the director, Amit Lahav, should never have allowed his leading man, Amit Lahav, to monopolise the show. ...

Read more and add your own review