The Birmingham Rep – until Thursday 25th May 2024
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
4****
Withnail and I is a 1987 dark British comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. The plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and “I”, who share a flat in Camden, London in the late 1960s. In need of a holiday, they drive to a country cottage belonging to Withnail’s eccentric uncle Monty. But instead of relaxation and recouperation they encounter a whole host of calamities which has resulted in this film becoming a cult classic.
This live rendition at Birmingham’s Rep Theatre has been adapted for the stage by Robinson himself and is directed by the brilliant Sean Foley. Much of Robinson’s script is a wonderfully word-for-word duplicate of the film, including all its infectiously quotable lines. The notorious “We want the finest wines available to humanity. We want them here and we want them now!” got a resounding whoop from the audience as nostalgia rippled through the crowd.
Robert Sheehan’s portrayal of Withnail is fabulously flamboyant. It’s difficult when there are big shoes to fill, but I didn’t feel he is trying to emulate Richard E Grant, but rather put his own spin on the character. I would have appreciated a little more light and dark instead of total freneticism, just to offer some balance and flesh out Withnail’s humanity, but other than that he is hilarious. Adonis Siddique is a delight as Marwood/’I’. Funny, flawed, and feeble, his comic timing is perfection. Malcolm Sinclair’s marvellous portrayal of Uncle Monty is handled with more subtly than in the film, which was a necessary adjustment as times have changed. Adam Young is phenomenal as drug dealer Danny, his stoned threats and philosophies had the audience in stitches. Alice Power’s incredible set aided by Akhila Krishnan’s large-scale video, consisted of projections on screens, a sloped stage, offering depth and dimension, set pieces sliding in and out on a mechanical floor and the wildest colours and shapes. These set the tone and times as well as giving a proper psychedelic feel to the production. Throw in the punctuated scene changes by a live band belting out bangers from the original film and you have an astounding assault on the senses.
Withnail and I was a perfectly performed piece of theatre, visually stunning and an excellent tribute to the cult classic, but it might only appeal to those hardened fans of the original.