A classic Hollywood western has been reborn on the London stage, trading sweeping plains for the tense confines of a theatre. Billy Crudup leads a powerful new adaptation of High Noon at the Harold Pinter Theatre, proving the film's 1952 allegory of civic cowardice still hits with remarkable force in today's divided political landscape.
From Silver Screen to Stage: A Debate Play is Born
Director Thea Sharrock's production initially feels like a series of brief, filmic scenes, set against a handsome clapboard saloon-bar design by Tim Hatley. The inclusion of Bruce Springsteen's songs and some line dancing adds a musical layer, though the show finds its true rhythm not as a conventional musical, but as a gripping debate play. The narrative engine is the relentless countdown to noon, when the vengeful Frank Miller (James Doherty) arrives by train to confront the marshal who jailed him, Will Kane (Crudup).
The adaptation, with a script by Eric Roth that fleshes out Carl Foreman's original screenplay, zeroes in on the community's moral failure. The story, famously condemned by John Wayne as 'un-American', pits the courage of one man against the cowardice of the many as the townsfolk abandon Kane in his hour of need.
Crudup and Gough: A Central Partnership Under Pressure
Stepping into a role immortalised by Gary Cooper, Billy Crudup carries the weight with an upstanding, earnest and increasingly desperate performance. He is convincingly partnered by Denise Gough as Amy Fowler, his new Quaker wife who abhors violence. Gough brings a grittier, more modern edge than Grace Kelly's film counterpart, and her strong, desolate a cappella renditions of Springsteen's songs, including 'I'm on Fire', are a highlight, even if reprised one too many times.
While their characterisations are sometimes narrow, limiting the full scale of their abilities, the pair effectively anchor the human drama amidst the broader political argument. The production smartly gives more texture to the female characters, particularly in the refreshing affinity between Amy and Helen, a Mexican businesswoman played by Rosa Salazar.
McCarthy-Era Roots Echo in Modern Political Terror
The true power of this staging lies in its uncanny and urgent relevance. Originally an allegory for the McCarthy-era blacklist—which claimed its own screenwriter, Carl Foreman—the play now vibrates with new meaning. The debates on collective inaction, ethical responsibility, and misguided national myths speak directly to the polarised 'cowboy country' of Trump's America and beyond.
Neil Austin's lighting design provides emotional clarity, and the percussive soundscape maintains a gripping tension, culminating in a well-staged showdown that manages to be thrilling despite the challenges of a cross-town shootout in a theatre. For all its initial stiffness, the production builds a locomotive energy.
Ultimately, the political message speaks loudest, harnessing the fear of the past for the terrors of the present. It's a moving, momentum-driven piece that proves some classics don't just endure—they evolve to hold up a new mirror to society. High Noon runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London, until 6 March.
