London Tide premiered in April 2024 and is being performed in the West End at the National Theatre. This production was adapted to the stage by Ben Power from the Charles Dickens’ novel, Our Mutual Friend. London Tide is directed by Ian Rickson, who has also directed many shows including The Red Lion, Evening at the Talk House, and Hamlet.
London Tide was very well executed and all the working pieces (lights, sound, set, costuming, vision, and acting) seamlessly worked together and added to each other to make a whole production. The style was minimalist. There were very limited props and the audience had to use their imagination. For example, the show was referencing a boat but the “boat” that was on stage was just a wooden plank being moved by the actors to show the rocking of the boat. The acting was fabulous and brought the play to life. Often, the actors would break the fourth wall and you could “hear” the thoughts running through their head. In addition to the actual actors, the stagehands had costumes as well and were integrated into the play to make the transitions from each scene flow better, it was seamless. I thought it was really cool how both the stage and lights moved together to simulate waves in water. Also, there was no confusion about where one chapter ended and another started, because the chapters were displayed above the stage. The music was very good. I found it interesting that the band was on the stage. It was not a distraction from the production. This show appeared to me to be a combination of a musical and an audio book. It felt like I was watching a book.
It’s difficult to say who the leads were since the cast was so small that almost everyone had a big part but if I had to pick, I’d say the leads were Bella Maclean, Tom Mothersdale, and Ami Tredrea. I think that Bella Maclean is probably the most well-known of the three because she has had a large role in the TV show Rivals. Tom Mothersdale has an impressively long list of credits to his name in theater, tv, film, and radio. Ami Tredrea has not been in many things, but she was the best singer in the production in my opinion. I highly recommend seeing this production. While I didn’t know beforehand if I would be able to sit through a three and a half hour show, I did not get bored once. The show has a really good story and the plot kept my attention during the entire show. The acting was above amazing and the singing was great. In fact, I could tell that the show was going to be amazing when the company started singing the first song.
Theatre in London U of A 