Thelma and Louise
Young Vic Theatre
Book by: Callie Khouri
Directed by: Trip Cullman
Music and lyrics by: Neko Case
The iconic Thelma and Louise first hit the big screen in 1991, with Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as the wild, loveable runaways. Now, 35 years later, the Young Vic presents a new musical production of Callie Khouri’s masterpiece.
Walking into the Young Vic, Christine Jones and Brett J. Banakis’ set has completely transformed the space into a Southern state US bar; intricate details from a jukebox, phone boxes filled with stickers and sawdust on the floor create a colourful, vibrant space that immediately transports you into the world of Thelma and Louise. The first time we see the title characters, they are sitting atop an overturned baby blue car, revealed by huge bright lights and a backdrop of the open road; a very effective and powerful image to achieve in a relatively small space and one that sets the scene for the story ahead.
Amy Lennox (Thelma) and Rachel Tucker (Louise) take on the leading ladies and do an exceptional job. Their chemistry is superb, each bringing vivacious, complicated and relatable women to life on stage. Well known as West End stars, their vocals are flawless, blending together with such ease and making full use of Neko Case’s eclectic range of musical genres and styles.
The actual orchestrations are brilliant, filled with varied and engaging tunes, however the one let down were the lyrics. Often times, they felt cliche and filled with sweeping analogies, packing in too many words to make an impact. There was also an enormous amount of songs, which sometimes meant more powerful, meaningful moments weren’t given time to breath and settle. However, it was lovely to have the live band visible to the audience, situated on either side of the stage, led by Kimberly Grigsby.
Lennox and Tucker lead a brilliant company, all of whom bring distinct and believable characters to the stage. Jordan Luke Gage plays JD (played in the movie by Brad Pitt), transitioning from a sweet, humorous individual to a more mysterious, even slightly sinister figure as the show went on, and Trevor Dion Nicholas plays Hal, a detective determined to the right thing, as sincere and focused, bringing a necessary calm to the turbulent story. The ensemble are also strong, always present, building the atmosphere, acting as witnesses and narrators to the actions that unfold, and performing some wonderful dance numbers, choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber (ingenious usages of line dances were a particular highlight).
The show is almost cinematic, accentuated by Natasha Chivers’ lighting designs, with a superb script, written by Callie Khouri; the story still hits home for audiences today, a beautiful tale of female friendship, courage, fear and the human experience. As the final chords played out, with Lennox and Tucker standing in front of a huge Grand Canyon backdrop, the rest of the cast surrounding them, it felt like a truly great new piece of musical theatre had just started its journey and I expect we’ll see those two fearless women on the London stage again soon.
Reviewer: Lily Sitzia
Photo: Helen Murray