”It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity”.
If I had to describe A Tale of Two Cities in a word, that word would be ‘classic’. Whilst widely considered to be the most “unDicken’s” like, Dickens novel, it is also his most famous and most widely read. As poignant today as the day it was written, A Tale of Two Cities is more a tale of two worlds. Rich vs poor, young vs old, tradition vs enlightenment, great acting vs some not so great, the tale was well told by the Touring Consortium Theatre Company, with more than a helping hand from the amazing set designs. Also worthy of a standing ovation was the outstanding musical score by one and only Rachel Portman (Oscar winning Rachel Portman – Cider House Rules).
This adaptation by Mike Poulton (Fortunes Fool, Wolf Hall) feeds off the global unrest, citizen protest and regime change that is sweeping across the world today and in the foreseeable future. I especially enjoyed the scenes in the kangaroo court set up to punish the elites for crimes, both real and imagined, whether guilty by deed or by blood, one and all must be made to suffer at the hands of those who shout the loudest.
If anything puts into context this post-truth Brexit world of ours, it is the knowledge that we have been there before and still survived. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, just sometimes it is a long, long tunnel and the light is dim and flickered. In this case the light is the love between a man and a woman, a friend and a rival, a master and a servant, the kind of love we see every day between people who share experiences, morals and loyalty. The kind of love that can cost a man his life.
Showing until Saturday 26th November – Tickets available here.
Review by Abdul Khan
