@sohoplace – until 12 August 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Ashley Robinson’s adaptation of Annie Proulx’s short story is a poetic and emotional wonder.
Inside the intimate @sohoplace, the cinematic glory of Ang Lee’s sweeping vistas is impossible, but Dan Gillespie Sells’ evocative and transportive music fashions a clear picture of the physical isolation of the mountain as well as the emotional isolation of the characters.
The tragic love story begins at a laconic pace, with Ennis (Lucas Hedges) monosyllabic and guarded as Jack Twist (Mike Faist) tries to chat around the campfire high up on the mountain. The live band (musical director Sean Green, BJ Cole, Greg Miller, Meelie Traill) are simply wonderful, with Sophie Reid’s backing vocals complementing Eddi Reader’s magnificent and spellbinding voice. The musical themes as glances and touches are exchanged is gorgeous, building to an ominous beat before the couple’s first sexual encounter takes place in silhouette inside their tent. The following morning’s denials – “just a one-shot thing”- are soon forgotten as horse play gives way to passion and their bond becomes stronger. Ennis’s insistence on conforming to expectations and fear of the brutality he has seen against gay men sends them their separate ways to wives and children, but their love leads to 20 years of fishing and hunting trips until a tragic accident leaves Ennis alone and broken.
Lucas Hedges is brooding and brutal as Ennis, tense and prowling, only relaxed and happy when he is with Jack. Mike Faist makes Jack irresistible – charming and boyishly reckless, but with an underlying wistful longing for a life together. Their stunning chemistry is magnetic – you can’t take your eyes off them when they are chatting tenderly in each other’s arms.
Director Jonathan Butterell doesn’t rush through the story, with the songs accompanying some almost non-verbal scenes portraying the agony of Ennis and Alma’s life as efficiently as a more verbose script. The damage Ennis’s refusal to live his true life with Jack causes both men runs through every one of their encounters but the devastation Ennis brings into Alma’s life is portrayed with rapier sharp clarity by Emily Fairn in an exquisite performance that will break your heart. Paul Hickey plays older Ennis, reliving the memory of his one great love and haunting the stage, staring lovingly at jack and guilt ridden as he remembers how he treated his wife Alma (Emily Fairn). There are a few scenes where his presence seems unnecessary, but the play’s beautiful final images justify his inclusion.
Tender and tragic, this play with music will touch your heart and tear it up.