Review: THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE THE MUSICAL, Apollo Theatre

Photo credit: Johan Persson

**This review may contain minor plot spoilers of The Time Traveller’s Wife**

After an out-of-town try-out in Chester, a hotly anticipated musical adaptation is finally open in the West End! The source material: The Time Traveller’s Wife, a novel known for somehow managing to ground an outlandish idea (such as time travel) in a narrative that explores an epic, all-consuming romance, and ideas of determinism and free will in the case of “true love”, while also leaving room for humour and heart. And while the musical, now open at the Apollo Theatre, fulfils the brief of translating the story into a grand theatrical space, it’s our opinion that this story loses a certain something in its transition to the stage and doesn’t quite expand to its full potential.

We open on the headlines; Claire is in love with Henry, a man who (out of his own control) can time travel at any given moment - forcing her to wait for him. It’s a huge concept that can take time to wrap one’s head around (given the full implications of this on all aspects of the couple’s lives). And while audiences can take this in at their own pace when sat with the Audrey Niffenegger novel, the musical drives through without really giving real weight to this initial introduction or any of its subsequent events. There is so much to cover here that much of the original story has had to be sacrificed to keep a lighter momentum, often leaving many aspects of the show without a context (Henry’s own life before meeting Claire is not explored yet referenced, and Claire’s family issues are also briefly mentioned but lack the necessary context to make them relevant). It’s because of this that it feels as if we are watching a collage of isolated scenes from something much greater. And while the central performances from all cast members are great, they are limited by the caps placed on their in-text character development, all of which was necessary to tell this story in its original form.

**SPOILERS** For example, in Act 2, we follow Claire and Henry’s struggle to have a family and hear briefly, in one line, that Claire has had six miscarriages on this journey, yet in the written word, audiences are able to sit with and explore a whole chapter’s worth of heartbreak and loss that provides the depth of context needed to allow later scenes to fully pay off. On stage, emotional journeys feel patchy, and incomplete.

Stand out performances from both Joanna Woodward and David Hunter keep us engaged throughout though, as they are doing the best they can with what they have been given. We feel that they have both been perfectly cast and are able to provide the genuine onstage chemistry that is absolutely essential to this story. Audiences are still able to invest in these characters thanks to the life and love that Woodward and Hunter bring to them. Particularly in the song ‘I See Her’, a loving duet between Henry and his father about the loss of his mother and the subsequent effect it has had on them both and their relationship. And for Joanna, a song in Act Two - ‘I’m in Control’ - that gives her the space to let her vocal talents loose. Tim Mahendran and Hiba Elchikhe are also worth highlighting as they provide some excellent comic relief.

Another success of this production is its versatile set design and creative staging. This story was always going to be a challenge, but Anna Fleischle has taken it on with ease as a double revolve spins to reveal endless new locations, each as full and lived in as the last. It helps to add another layer of reality into this story in an attempt to further ground its far-fetched nature. Projected onto this transformative structure is Andrzej Goulding’s video design that has moments of true beauty, in representing Claire’s artwork and bringing forth the start of each chapter of the original novel (Henry & Claire’s ages at any given time). The icing on the cake here are the quite astonishing illusions (designed by Chris Fisher) that remain exciting throughout. While Henry’s method of time travel is to simply vanish, this is achieved on stage in so many different ways that it always manages to stay surprising, yet with an understated sense that these moments are always fully driven by the emotion of the story, and not just the desire to show off something impressive.

This spectacle is slightly let down by its translation from page to stage, as without the true weight and depth of 150,000+ words to explore its central questions about love and loss, we left the theatre feeling as if the show was unable to fulfil its huge potential. To look at the show in a broader sense, however, is to see something still quite lovely. The general idea is still there and for those new to The Time Traveller’s Wife, this musical still works in and of itself. The message isn’t fully absent; much the same as those we love…

“Time is priceless, but it’s free. You can't own it; you can use it. You can spend it. But you can't keep it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back”

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Callum Wallace

The Time Traveller’s Wife is currently booking at London’s Apollo Theatre until 30 March 2024, with tickets available here.