The Lovely Bones is a novel by Alice Sebold that I devoured months after its release back in 2002. It was then made into a film in 2009 with a stellar cast including Rachel Weisz and Saoirse Ronan, and directed by the one and only Peter Jackson. Even with an Oscar nomination, the film fell flat. Now, in 2019, a stage version is on at the Playhouse for just short of a week.
Despite the theatre being absolutely freezing (take a scarf or extra layers!) the production literally started with a bang. The almost-full audience jumped, and it was an indication of what was to come. For those who don’t know the story, The Lovely Bones is told first hand by Susie Salmon, a young teenager who has been sexually abused and murdered, and is trying from beyond the grave to contact her family, to help them find her killer. There are no surprises or plot twists, because we know from the word go who did it. This story explores how families deal with the issues surrounding losing a loved one. The father never gives up, the mother tries to move on, the sister needs to keep growing up and the brother doesn’t quite understand what’s happening.
There are plenty of positives in this production. Charlotte Beaumont, playing Susie, captures the innocence of a teenager, amongst the emotional turmoil of being ripped away from this world, absolutely brilliantly. By far, the most convincing performance I’ve seen of a young girl in a long time. The actress who plays brother Buckley and quirky school friend Ruth, for me, stole the show. In one scene, which I found a little odd and confusing, in which Susie finally is able to connect with her beau Ray, Leigh Lothian is in the background, singing and playing the guitar. If it wasn’t for her beautiful and inspiring voice, this scene really would have stuck out even more, as it didn’t quite gel with the rest of the play.
There is suspense, there is laughter, there may even be tears, but there were a few things lacking in making this a perfect piece of theatre. Some of the American accents were a little off, and the second half of the play seemed to rush through, as opposed to the first half which kept us wanting more. It’s a hard adaptation to make, as the book weaves together so many storylines and characters in a short time.
Having said that, the way the staging was created - Susie could never leave a salty square - how compelling actresses Charlotte and Leigh were, and the epic 70s soundtrack, made it all worthwhile. Nit picking aside, it’s far more successful than the film, but I implore you to read the book too. You won’t be able to put it down.
