Perhaps most widely known as the cult film starring Tom Cruise, you might not envision (The) Minority Report – a sci-fi tale exploring the implications of a police state, capable of predicting crime and arresting on that prediction alone – to take very well to the stage. And, well, you’d be surprised with what director Max Webster and writer David Haig have produced on the Lyric Hammersmith stage; a phenomenally ambitious piece of theatre that simply refuses to buckle under the weight of its own story, fighting at every opportunity to prove the possibility of its staging, and succeeding to varying degrees throughout its (surprisingly short) 85-minute runtime.

Let us begin with the production’s victories; Max Webster’s cinematic directing style and vision for this complex piece shines through in Jon Bausor’s expansive yet intricate design, which manages to keep up with the play’s rapid pace, impressively covering countless definitive and wholly realised locations. In terms of creating the physical world, the job is satisfyingly complete for the audience; there’s no chance the phrase “stripped back” could be employed here, which is a joy to behold. It would also help in the storytelling too, meaning the audience can devote their thought power to the complex ideas involved in the narrative…

The “pre-crime” concept has always been a hard sell, be it in its original short story form, the Hollywood film, or indeed, this production. Asking audiences to invest their time into the frightening idea that the justice system can operate on prediction alone is incredibly tough. And while David Haig’s script begins with time spent on a well explained introduction to the idea and its history via a keynote ‘10th Anniversary’ speech by the in-universe founder of the ‘Pre-Crime Division’ Julia Anderton (portrayed by Jodie McNee), the pace rapidly increases when she, herself, is accused of ‘pre-murder’ and is forced on the run. She is faced with the paradox; to prove she is innocent, she must, in turn, prove that the system she has dedicated her life to is flawed. It’s unfortunate that we aren’t given time to explore this incredibly compelling and weighted concept as we perhaps could have been. We aren’t afforded enough of a chance to breathe with our protagonist and *fully* consider the ethical weight of the world that the play takes place within, which would then improve our connection with the characters and ultimately inject some more much-needed emotion to the piece. We do believe the play would benefit from having two acts, and the chance to discuss the plot at a halfway point, returning to the story having explored and digested the plays ideas between ourselves.

This being said, the performers do the best they can to expand the material they are working with; Jodie McNee in particular providing the driving human force for the show. Her character’s intensity is impressive, selling the genuine threat she is under for the full run time. Other creative aspects of the play are valuable additions though; Nicola T. Chang’s score is excellent at defining the more dramatic moments of action, and Tal Rosner’s video design does excellent work bringing the show into its 2050 setting.

So, while we think the play could benefit from taking a few moments to fully explore the concepts that are introduced, what it has achieved is still remarkable, and ought to be applauded for sheer ambition alone.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Matthew Foster

Minority Report plays at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre until 18 May, with further info here.