King’s Theatre, Edinburgh – until 22 June 2019
Reviewed by James Knight
4****
Louis de Bernières’ classic novel of romance, war and music comes to the stage in a UK tour. Adapted by Rona Munro and directed by Melly Still, the island of Cephalonia and its inhabitants and invaders come to life beautifully onstage, capturing the magic of the original novel.
While the play may be bookended by a letter to Captain Corelli (Alex Mugnaioni) to his fellow armyman Carlo (Ryan Donaldson), the true character to follow is that of Pelagia (Madison Clare). She’s the first character we are properly introduced to, scolding her father, Dr Iannis (Joseph Long) as he pees on the herbs. It’s her story we follow as she falls in and out love with Mandras (Ashley Gale) and protects the other Cephalonians from their German and Italian invaders. Munro’s script still manages to pay tribute to the other narrative threads of the source material, and so losses are still felt as the war progresses.
The cast are wonderfully engaging to watch, and with so many characters to keep track of, the relationships are drawn with subtlety. Supporting characters all get their moment, whether it be the Communist strongman Velisarios (Stewart Scudamore) or the surprisingly sympathetic Nazi soldier Gunter (Kate Spencer). And that’s nothing to say of the two ‘animal’ performers, Luisa Guerreiro and Elizabeth Mary Williams as a goat and a pine marten respectively, quite often stealing the show from their human counterparts.
And animals play a large part of this show – two of the most visually interesting moments involve them. Silver fish leap across the stage, and in a quiet grove while picking snails, Pelagia and Corelli cement their love for each other.
The production is a feast for the eyes and ears: the beauty of the afore-mentioned fish contrasts with the horror of being surrounded by frozen bodies. The music (by composer Harry Blake) is beautiful throughout, from the delicate, mandolin concerto ‘Pelagia’s March’, to the powerful strains of Eve Polycarpou’s haunting vocals depicting the tragedy and grief of war. Elsewhere, simple tricks are often best – guns are mimed and their firing is all sound effects throughout the show, making an actual onstage gunshot that much more effective when it happens.
And these do not detract from the quieter character moments, such as Dr Iannis talking to Pelagia about her love for Corelli, or a battalion of Italians performing the Humming Chorus before a firing squad, or even the final, gently heart-breaking few seconds.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is a beautiful elegiac piece of theatre, which, while showing great respect to its source material, is not afraid to depict the horrors of war, nor the glimmer of hope that comes after.