The transition from silver screen to the boards is a notoriously tricky road to navigate, and this musical adaptation of Thelma & Louise (the blockbuster 1991 road movie directed by Ridley Scott and starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon) at the Young Vic proves that not every cinematic classic belongs on stage.
At its core, the original film is driven by the vastness of the American landscape, the rhythm of an accelerating road trip, and the raw freedom of a classic 1966 Ford Thunderbird. Stripping the story of both the open road and the vintage car renders the entire exercise curiously static. Without that physical momentum driving their escape, the narrative stalls in place, turning what should be a thrilling chase into an oddly confined theatrical experiment.
The staging choices do little to rescue the material. Under Trip Cullman's direction, the show feels repetitive, weighed down by a score that lacks any genuine emotional punch. The music is uninspired and the lyrics are thoroughly banal: simplistic, derivative, and entirely forgettable. For large stretches of its run time, the production is frankly dull and boring, only finding a fleeting sense of dynamism in its final few minutes as the story finally hurtles toward its conclusion.
If there is any redeeming quality to the evening, it lies entirely with the stellar company assembled on stage. The cast are universally fantastic, working tirelessly to inject life into an unyielding script.
Rachel Tucker and Amy Lennox deliver powerhouse performances as Louise and Thelma, displaying a fierce, palpable chemistry that brings warmth and genuine humanity to their characters' central friendship. They are supported brilliantly by Jordan Luke Gage, who brings plenty of charismatic charm to the role of JD, and Trevor Dion Nicholas, who lends grounded nuance to Detective Hal.
Yet even an ensemble of this calibre cannot save a musical that feels fundamentally misguided. Ultimately, it remains a flat, uninspired adaptation: a show you will forget the moment you step out of the theatre.
It runs until 24 October.
Photos: Helen Murray