Review: The Grapes of Wrath, West Yorkshire Playhouse

A stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's searing novel about displacement, social isolation and the struggle to survive couldn't be more timely.
Andre Squire as Tom and Daniel Booroff as Noah in Grapes of Wrath.Andre Squire as Tom and Daniel Booroff as Noah in Grapes of Wrath.
Andre Squire as Tom and Daniel Booroff as Noah in Grapes of Wrath.

However, sadly, this production fails to make any resonant connections between the Joad family’s plight in 1930s Depression-era America making the long journey on foot from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to the promised land of California in search of a better life and that of their 21st century counterparts crossing Europe seeking refuge. Nor does it fulfill its responsibility to the Joads’ tragic story which gets lost amid too many distractions. During the play’s nearly three-hour running time, it frequently feels weighed down by accessories. A pared-back and spare telling would have given the production so much more emotional impact. As it was, it was difficult to engage with in any meaningful way.

The specially commissioned music, composed by Matt Regan is, according to the programme notes, deliberately dissonant and there is no denying it is raw and urgent but it feels out of place. Too many musical interludes interrupt the action, slow the pace and don’t add anything to what should have been a powerful, haunting story.

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There were some good individual performaces – particularly from Julia Swift as pragmatic Ma, Andre Squire as hot-headed son Tom and Brendan Charleson as ex-preacher Casy with the best moments coming when the focus is on the characters’ humanity – but the overall feeling by the end was of a wasted opportunity.

To June 10.

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