On the 4th night of our London trip, we had the pleasure of watching “London Tide”, an adaptation of “Our Mutual Friend” by Charles Dickens. This has been the second show we have watched at the National Theater and we had amazing seats this time around. London Tide deals with important themes in today’s world and flexed the technical abilities of The National Theater.
One of my favorite aspects of the play dealt with leaving the family behind in hopes for a better life. This was shown through the characters Bella Wilfer and Lizzie Hexam. Bella is offered a new life with the wealthy family known as the Boffin’s. This starts turmoil in her life, as her family thinks that Bella has abandoned them for wealth and luxurious living. Charlie Hexam, on the other hand, dismisses his sisters desires to not want to marry the Schoolmaster, Bradley Headstone. This leads to the separation of sister and brother, as the brother believes that Lizzie Hexam is selfish for not marrying him, as it would lead to a proper life.
The theme of feminism also plays a huge roll in this show. Lizze Hexam has been told what to do her whole life and lives to pelase her brother and father. By the end of the show, Lizzie is liberated from pleasing the men in her life, and for the first time in her life, makes a decision about what she wants. I loved how this played out for her character. Seeing her go from a slave of society to a free spirited women was powerful and important.
The staging of this show was immaculate. They used very minimal props and relied mostly on the lighting to convey scene changes. Instead of using the lights as a tool for illuminating the actors or conveying a vibe, they were completely a part of the set. The show starts with the lighting fixtures lowered onto the stage, and continues to use them as a part of the set which was something that I’ve never seen before.
Overall, this was an amazing show and is tied as my favorite show we’ve so far alongside Mousetrap.
Theatre in London U of A 