The Ballad of Hattie and James
Kiln Theatre
19th April – 18th May 2024
Director: Richard Twyman
Playwright: Samuel Adamson
Produced by Kiln Theatre and ETT
The Ballad of Hattie and James made its world premiere last night, on the 18th April 2024, within the mighty Kiln Theatre. Written by Samuel Adamson and directed by Richard Twyman, the narrative follows two unique individuals, Hattie and James, through essential moments of their lives that shape not only them as people, but who they are together. In this dark comedy, Samuel Adamson has created a little pocket of gold-dust.
With no previous production history, the audience was a hubbub of anticipation, not only full of eagerness for a new story to grace a London stage but also an excitement that comes when you have two theatrical geniuses take the stage together. Sophie Thompson portrayed Hattie, whilst Charles Edwards took on the role of James.
The story began in 1976; at school, James, a serious and dedicated piano player, meets Hattie, a rebellious, wild spirit but with an innate musical talent. Both Thompson and Edwards portrayed the younger Hattie and James with such effortless comedy, perfectly capturing the awkwardness and explosive energies that change how we see ourselves and the world around us, at that age. The attention to detail was impeccable from both, and as an audience member, I felt entirely at ease watching them on stage. Notably, Thompson’s character development shone under the wonderfully sad humour that Adamson’s script provided. As the story went on, the relationship between Hattie and James changed, as relationships do in life; the light-hearted, engaging friendship turned into something darker but Thompson and Edwards worked magnificently together. Their intelligence, both as actors and within their characters, was a true testament to their mastery of craft.
Special praise must also go to Suzette Llewellyn, who multi-roles a range of different characters throughout. Each personality was distinctive, and despite such a mammoth task, she excelled. The only other actress was Luna Valentine who played Chrissie, James’s younger half-sister. She brought a lovely energy to the action, and as a young actress on a professional stage, she certainly showed no fear!
I must give mention to Berrak Dyer, who was the live pianist throughout the show. Not only was the music incredibly moving but her skill was excellent. It is not often you get to see what was, essentially, a classical music recital within a play. However, I would have liked to see Dyer more visually drawn to the action or even just more engaged as a presence when she wasn’t playing.
Jon Bausor’s stage design was cleverly assembled; two large, almost-metallic looking walls came diagonally down either side of the stage, and created a smaller but more intimate space, and with a large, detailed black arch at the back, it felt like we were in a dilapidated opera house from way back when. A revolving stage meant the action was free to move across time and location easily, although the presence of stage management sorting out set at the back of stage, felt slightly jarring.
The play concluded in a time period we weren’t familiar with – Hattie and James as six- year olds. The innocence of their youth returned after all that had occurred throughout the rest of the show, and a flood of quiet and calmness seeped back into the auditorium. In a flicker of a glance, James softly says to Hattie, “I’m sorry” to which she responds “I know”, and in that moment of recognition, the friendship, love, competition and heartbreak experienced together, breaks away to leave them as they are, unique individuals sharing a love of music.
The Ballad of Hattie and James, written by Samuel Adamson and directed by Richard Twyman, is playing at the Kiln Theatre from the 19th of April – 18th May 2024.
Reviewer: Lily Sitzia
Photo: Mark Senior