Review: LA STRADA, Exeter Northcott Theatre

It was recently announced that Federico Fellini's film masterpiece La Strada has been restored and is set to receive a nationwide reissue, but it's also being given a new life on the stage in this touring production, which captures both the charm and grittiness of the original.

Over 60 years after winning an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and launching both its director and lead actress Giulietta Masina to international stardom, La Strada (which translates as 'The Road') maintains a modern meaning as a morality tale, with the tweaking of the plot ensuring the central character's path becomes one of discovery as well as misfortune.

It's a story about outcasts, which sees the wide-eyed and youthful waif, Gelsomina (Audrey Brisson), sold by her desperate mother to loutish strongman Zampanò (Stuart Goodwin) to become both his servant and performance assistant as he tours central Italy.

Zampanò is a thuggish bully, who repeatedly abuses Gelsomina as she struggles to learn the ropes; meanwhile, she finds a kindred spirit in his rival - a Fool called Il Matto (Bart Soroczynski) - and soon all three find themselves part of the same travelling circus, but with tragic consequences.

Adapting a classic film for the stage is always going to have its pitfalls, but Sally Cookson has cleverly taken the essence of the original story and, with fluid staging, re-created but not ripped off Fellini's movie with at times breathtaking results.

The harsh landscape, which was a linchpin of the film, is replaced by a simple and yet impressive set design by Katie Sykes, which allows the 13-strong ensemble to act as the backdrop.

Telegraph poles and canvas sails double up as both the unforgiving roads of provincial Italy and the circus big top, while three tyres are wistfully woven into the action to become the wheels of Zampanò's motorbike.

Cookson's direction really holds the key to the visual beauty of the piece however, with the actor-musicians' seamless movement creating a rhythmically mesmerising display, particularly when they depict the seashore.

The lead cast further ensures the captivating nature of the action, with Audrey Brisson giving Gelsomina an innocent yet wily characterisation and just the right amount of gamine roguishness, while Stuart Goodwin alludes to Zampanò's boorish exterior hiding inner torments, with sensitivity. Bart Soroczynski's perfectly executed circus skills add even more appeal to his adorable portrayal of the Fool, Il Matto, and the elegant, but eerie music by Benji Bower gives an additional colloquial perspective.

This is a timely reimagining of a classic, which blends some excellent performances and shrewd staging to make a magical interpretation.

La Strada is at Exeter Northcott Theatre until 6 May

To post a comment, you must register and login.