Chariots of Fire

Synopsis

1924. The Paris Olympic Games. A devout Scottish Christian runs for the glory of God. An English Jew runs to overcome prejudice. Two young track athletes. A battle fraught with social and political pressures to gain acceptance and represent Great Britain. Based on the extraordinary true story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, Chariots of Fire is a tale of hope, honour and belief, prevailing in the face of overwhelming odds.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 23 May 2012

Designer Miriam Buether has transformed Hampstead Theatre into a compact arena stadium for Edward Hall’s staging of the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire, a show that ignites the Olympic spirit and then douses it in patriotic fervour with Gilbert and Sullivan, the Eton boating song, “Rule Britannia” and “Jerusalem.”

Mike Bartlett’s functional script is a pretty accurate re-run of Colin Welland’s screenplay, though he’s “stranded out” a bit more the parallel stories of Eric Liddell (Jack Lowden), the Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams (James McArdle), the immigrant Lithuanian Jew, who employs a professional coach (Nicholas Woodeson) to win at all costs.

“
It's like an upper-class Starlight Express without the roller-skates”

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Latest User Review

David Baxter - 14 June 2012:

One of the chalenges for Chariots of Fire, apart from how to stage an Olympics in a theatre, is how to make a play interesting when almost everyone already knows the outcome. Mike Bartlett's adaptation of the film, which is now over 30 years old, doesn't totally succeed in creating dramatic tension and at times, ironically given the subject matter, is a bit slow and plodding. One scene, when the future Edward VIII flirts with a Canadian girl, complementing her on her "American" accent is telegraphed miles away. Where it does succeed however is in recreating marvellous characterisations of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell through superb performances from James McArdle and an immensely likeable Jack Lowden as an entirely unsanctimonious Liddell. An excellent supporting cast flesh out a huge range of other characters and demonstrate remarkable levels of physical committment - this is the first play I have seen to feature a pre-match warm-up. The staging of the races is incredible thanks to another remarkable design by Miriam Buether and, despite the results being predictable, the use of patriotic anthems and sparing use of Vangelis' familiar score stirs genuine emotion in a way that only great sporting moments can achieve. Chariots of Fire was booked into the Gielgud before the run at Hampstead even started. I'm not sure how it will transpose to a traditional West End theatre but I am very glad that I saw it in the space that it was created for....

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