This RSC adaptation of the hugely popular book by Maggie O’Farrell embraces theatricality and has some captivating performances yet somehow falls short of expectation in its run at the Garrick Theatre.

Lolita Chakrabati’s adaptation embraces the narrative of O’Farrell’s prose and paints the beautifully rounded characters is full light and the choice to opt for a chronologic telling of the work makes the journey more palatable for a stage audience. The premonition presences of Hamnet and Judith with a spriteliness of spirit (with more than a touch of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to them) foreshadow the events ahead although prerecorded whispering overlay (pleasing for fans of ASMR) feels at points laboured. Oğuz Kaplangi’s score switches between matching the drama perfectly and sometimes feels jarring as piped in music.

Erica Whyman’s direction revels in making the adaptation specific for stage, embracing the challenge of covering a wide time span and places with joyful simplicity which perfectly matches the aesthetic of the piece; with some very clever use of space and simple but beautiful transitioning between human states and times. The way children, pregnancy, childbirth, and death are all displayed with the very simplest of cloths is masterful. For the Shakespeare fans there are also beautiful directorial allusions to Shakespeare’s canon woven visually throughout the drama, noticeably a wonderful moment echoing Macbeth’s three witches.

Because the piece is so expansive in its timescale there is often need to move between time and location quickly and the frenetic running around between scenes does little to counter the occasionally plodding pastoral pace of the play.

The piece really finds its feet after the interval when the narrative moves up apace and we find ourselves swept along with the emotional turmoil of the ensemble. The piece focusses on Agnes Shakespeare played expertly by Madeleine Mantock as a truthful spirited woman who refuses to be restrained liked many of her contemporaries. The strength, power, and conviction from Mantoc is intoxicating and there feels to be a genuine affection between her and William (played by Tom Varey).

The company seem to revel in the second act having chance to play with the high drama and contrasting comedy of the adaptation (Particular mentions to Gabriel Akuwudike, Sarah Belcher & Liza Sadovy). At times the meta nods can feel a little tiresome but mostly hit the mark. The real issue comes in the fact that the heart breaking, tender loss and pain of O’Farrell’s novel just doesn’t quite come through despite some fantastic performances and great direction.

Tom Piper’s fantastically stripped set delivers us from space to space handsomely, capturing the relatively rural Stratford-on-Avon in the first half and some great surprises in the second.

In summation, this is an example of technically greatly executed theatre, with strong performance and direction, with a love of the theatrical and yet somehow there is still something missing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️