On Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending an adaptation of H G Wells classic tale, The Invisible Man, at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. If you are unfamiliar, The Invisible Man is set in the late Victorian period and follows physicist Jack Griffin, as he completes his refraction obsession by turning himself invisible and then tracks his quest to make himself seen again.

This is an absolutely stunning production. I have rarely (if ever) seen a production anywhere else that has put more effort into it’s staging. The performance comes with a sharp warning that should you leave the theatre, you cannot return until the end of the act because of the complexities of the performance.  This is justified as throughout the play, there are frequent uses of light and shadow to give the invisibility affect.

Unfortunately I found the performances a little flat and I found it hard to engage and empathise with the characters. I also found the frequent musical breaks quite jarring too and felt they slowed the pace of the story. Which is unfortunate, because it is clear this is a really well considered piece of theatre.

That said, it is still a great production and an enjoyable play to watch. Paul McEwen and Sophie Duval as Dr Kemp and Mrs Hall are excellent and the runaway unintentional stars of the show. I found myself longing for their next scenes. For me though, it does fall short of previous 5 and 4 star shows I have seen here.

3/5 stars.

Chris

@CW_Stagg

Performances | Mon – Wed | 7.30pm

Thu – Sat | 8pm

Matinees | Thu 2 Nov & Sat 11 Nov | 2.30pm

Audio Described Perf | Sat 11 Nov | 2.30pm Sign Language Interpreted Perf | Wed 15 Nov | 7.30pm Talk Back | free | Wed 8 Nov (after evening perf) | A chance for audiences to meet and question cast and creatives.

Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1QT Tube: Hornchurch Tickets: £12.50 – £29 | Under 26s £10 at certain performances Box Office: 01708 443333 Website:

queens-theatre.co.uk

All images (c) Mark Sepple used with permission of Queen’s Theatre.