based on the novel by Patrick Ness
seen at the Old Vic on 11 July 2018
Sally Cookson directs Matthe Tennyson as Conor O'Malley, with Marianne Oldham as his mother, Selina Cadell as his grandmother, Stuart Goodwin as the Monster, and a supporting cast playing the other characters, in this company-devised adaptation of the celebrated novel by Patrick Ness about a 13-year-old boy whose mother is desperately ill, and who is confused, angry and terrified by the situation and his conflicting reactions to it. The novel itself is based on the ideas of the late Siobhan Dowd, who died before she could complete her version of the story.
The stage is a bare white box with functional wooden chairs placed along the sides, and a number of large ropes suspended from above and tied back to the wings. One panel on high on the back wall cn be opened to reveal the instrumentalists who provide most of the musical accompaniment and some of the sound effects (other music and effects are pre-recorded). The white space reflects Conor's numb mind, pays tribute to Peter brook's famous description of the acting arena, and allows for some colourful projections, particularly of Conor's persistent nightmare.
