Review: A LITTLE LIFE, Harold Pinter Theatre

Photo credit: Jan Versweyveld

Theatre can do many things. It can welcome you, allow you to escape everyday life with a song and dance; it can confront you with challenging ideas and leave you wondering where you stand on them yourself. Or, in the case of A Little Life, it can change you. Whoever you are as you approach the Harold Pinter Theatre, you’ll leave someone else, having seen and heard things that can never be unseen or unheard. Often as reviewers, when we say that “This show will change your life”, it is hyperbole. Here, we assure you, there isn’t an ounce of exaggeration.

You’ll have no doubt seen the content warnings for Ivo Van Hove’s immense (almost) four-hour dramatisation of Hanya Yanagihara’s ground-breaking novel that explores what a life sentence trauma can be for victims and their support circle to a degree rarely seen in any form of mass media, let alone on stage and directly in front of you. Simply put, and to quote the show itself, “How do you keep someone alive who doesn’t want to stay alive?” For those who are not familiar with the book, the story follows lawyer Jude (Norton), as he navigates life work and relationships in NYC, dealing with the unimaginable horror of his past.

James Norton’s performance is unlike anything you’ll have ever seen before; there is no role more demanding for a performer than the dramatisation of Jude’s story and, especially in Act 2, Norton leaves everything on that stage. The weight of his character’s trauma never leaves his face, and even in the more light-hearted scenes, Norton finds a nuanced way of showing Jude’s damage that is still naturalistic without the need for embellishment. To have the mental strength to not just act, but live Jude’s story eight times a week is nothing short of phenomenal and will surely be recognised at next year's Oliviers.

We must also applaud Ivo Van Hove’s direction here. As the story is presented, the staging allows the audience to weave through the production and piece their version of the story together before the heart-breaking truth is revealed. Jude is bounced almost, from character to character as he struggles to take control of his past and others influence his present. There are also moments of stark contrast on stage that when the penny drops are utterly harrowing to observe. Though the play may be long and at times horrifying, it never loses sight of its central themes of love and intimacy, and how they can be warped by trauma. What results is, as we have said, life changing theatre.

Trigger warning: Descriptions of self-harm and sexual assault

As we have already stated, the material of this show does not shy away from Jude’s actions. Many times throughout the show, he is seen to cut himself in vivid and meticulous detail, with thanks to absolutely flawless makeup and prosthetic design from Susanna Peretz. We must also note the work of intimacy director Sara Green, who has managed to take on the needs of this show and create a safe enough space within the cast for scenes of rape and instances where actors are incredibly vulnerable to take place on stage as often as they do throughout this three-venue tour.

Though the question must be asked; why take things to such an extreme? We shan’t describe the full events of the show (through we heavily recommend a skim through the synopsis on Wikipedia before viewing) but they really do get under your skin - even as we write this review a day or so after being invited to attend, we are still somewhat haunted by its content. What such lengths become are something of an endurance test for audiences and what we gain, or indeed lose, from this show is individual to the viewer. Perhaps this is intentional, we are indeed reminded, by the presence of audience on stage, that this is theatre, yet it is also something more; a reminder that we are never truly aware of anyone else’s past struggle and must always treat those around us with empathy.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Callum Wallace

A Little Life plays at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 18 June before transferring to the Savoy Theatre from 4 July. To book tickets, please click here.