Well here’s something different, Rory Kinnear in a show set in a French ski resort on a sloped ski stage at the Donmar Warehouse… I know right? Based on the film Ruben Östlund’s film of the same name, Force Majeure tells the story of Tomas (Rory Kinnear) and his one cataclysmic decision and the effects it has on his family that follow.
What starts as a seemingly fun family holiday very quickly becomes the opposite when an avalanche destroys not only the resort but the moral compass of the family. It instantly goes from 0-100 within the aftermath of the event, though oddly it never seems to go anywhere after that and we’re kind of left wondering where this can continue to go.
Tomas and Ebba (Lyndsey Marshal) do however keep us enticed as to what’s going to happen. They’re both quite clearly on the edge and each has its moments of complete capitulation. The various moments between the pair and also Tomas’ friend Mats (Sule Rimi) are enjoyable to watch. Rimi provides uplifting humour amongst the dark comedic tones throughout, but what the trio do very well, in particular, is the delivery of their lines in what almost feels an improvised way. It helps to add a sense of realism and believability to the words they’re saying without making it feel scripted. Kinnear is of course as is in many of his work faultless. He controls his moments on stage with vigour. Marshall grows into her character and allows us to both sympathise and empathise with her through the performance of a wife and mother both broken and holding it together simultaneously.
The constant theme of emasculation that’s used within the show makes it an interesting one, Tomas and Mats cannot deal with the feeling of being seen as a lesser man and the denial and defence of it throughout fits well within the comedy.
Now the trouble sometimes faced with screen to stage productions is the lack of space. Where a film can use vast space, sets and scenery, the stage show is sometimes dependent on the theatre size. In this case, the Donmar being an Intimate space means a very small stage leaving a lot to the imagination of the audience, the show does have its moments where it’s staged cleverly thanks to designer Jon Bausor’s visually creative set, but ultimately falls short in using the imagination of the audience to its full potential. All in all, it’s a comedy that has its moments of humour, with clever direction from Michael Longhurst. Though never seems to quite take off down the slopes, more gets its footing wrong down the slope.
Review by George Butler
Rating: ★★★
Seat: Stalls C12 | Price of Ticket: £45
