A new stage adaptation of Max Porter's award-winning novel 'Grief is the Thing With Feathers' has opened at Belvoir, but critics say it plays it safe. The production, co-adapted by director Simon Phillips and lighting designer Nick Schlieper, follows a grief-stricken father and his two young sons who are visited by a giant talking crow after the death of the wife and mother.
The book, a cross between a novella and a tone poem published in 2015, has been adapted for live performance at least seven times. This version stars Toby Schmitz as both Dad and Crow, with Philip Lynch and Fraser Morrison as the boys. The production features a mournful cello played live by composer Freya Schack-Arnott and sound design by Daniel Herten that conjures fluttering wings.
While the production has moments of emotional power, with audience members reportedly weeping on opening night, it is criticised for being too literal. The staging, dominated by black and grey with animated illustrations by Jon Weber, is described as 'straightforward' and 'safe', missing the imaginative space that made the book so effective. The script and staging keep the audience grounded in reality rather than allowing them to fully enter Crow's world.
Despite these criticisms, the performances are praised, particularly Schmitz's attempt to access tenderness as Dad and his avian postures as Crow, and Lynch's poignant portrayal of the youngest child. The production offers permission for each audience member to give grief the shape it needs, but ultimately fails to truly soar.
