Review Roundup: AUTUMN at Park Theatre

Autumn plays at the Park Theatre through Sat 2 November. Based on the novel by Ali Smith, the production is adapted by Harry McDonald, and directed by Charlotte Vickers. 

Summer 2016. Britain has voted to leave the European Union, and low-paid art historian Elisabeth returns to the village she grew up in to read to the sleeping Daniel Gluck, her childhood next-door neighbour. The libraries are closed, new fences are being built, and no one will let Elisabeth renew her passport. Meanwhile, Daniel dreams: of his long-lost little sister; of the twentieth century; of art, of poetry and music.

From Stage Debut Award nominated writer Harry McDonald and director Charlotte Vickers comes an adaptation of Ali Smith’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel. As the divides between people become ever starker, Autumn finds connections across time and experience, and resilience in the most unlikely of love stories. See what the critics are saying...

 Katie Kirkpatrick, BroadwayWorld: Even without prior knowledge, it would be evident that Autumn is adapted from a novel. It’s a remarkably literary play, full of recurring symbolism and a distinctly erudite style and tone. At times, this works in the show’s favour, with the stage allowing visual symbols to be woven into the script and the different voices at play able to literally come and go.

Kate Wyver, The Guardian: Words, here, are not given the same kaleidoscopic possibility as in Smith’s novel, where such pleasure is found in the way they partner and play on the page. Yet there are moments of illumination, where the novel, so deeply intrigued by time and how we all experience it, feels perfectly suited to an art form that disappears each night, to be seen anew the next.

Tom Wicker, Time Out: It’s all evocatively done, with a strong anchoring performance by Rebecca Banatvala. She switches well between the defiantly curious teenage and wearily defensive adult versions of Elisabeth. As she keeps bumping up against an uncaring, ID-obsessed British bureaucracy, she has a great foil in Nancy Crane, who’s deliciously venomous as everyone from a spitefully officious Post Office employee to a security guard.

Gary Naylor, The Arts Desk: So after a cordon bleu of a starter and main course, a bland dessert leaves us with less to contemplate over a digestif than initially appeared to be the case. The wait continues for theatre to find its definitive statement on Brexit, as indeed might be said equally or film, television and literature.  

John Groves, London Theatre 1: To direct a piece of theatre which is continually shifting forwards, backwards and sideways in time must be challenging and Charlotte Vickers almost succeeds, but Autumn almost seems to defy adaptation for the stage – surely there are new plays out there waiting to be written and directed? I have to confess that I have not read the novel, and it would be interesting to know what those who have make of this adaptation. I am glad to have seen it, especially for the high quality of the acting.