SOME MOTHERS DO HAVE ‘EM
And Sometimes they get – BIG!
It is Michael Crawford in a fat suit for his role in the new Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical The Woman In White. I am hoping that the attendant hooh-hah about this Wilkie Collins adaptation causes ructions, especially if people accidentally book to see The Woman in Black, Susan Hill’s surprisingly long running (over ten years) mystery. A late night ruck between both women for the prize of West End Queen is demanded.
The Woman In White is a tricky beast to adapt, let alone musicalize, with its multi-viewpoint character storytelling (like Rashomon but about different bits). Problem is that part of the suspense in the narrative comes from being inside the head of someone who know sthe least at any given moment. This device taken away and the mystery becomes rather easy to decipher.