Icon Theatre's adaptation of Hard Times is must-see credit-crunch theatre (From News Shopper)

Icon Theatre's adaptation of Hard Times is must-see credit-crunch theatre

12:18pm Tuesday 4th November 2008

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Icon Theatre’s take on Charles Dickens’ Hard Times is an inventive adaptation which excellently presents the emotional struggles of its central characters, writes Kerry Ann Eustice.

Touching a little, but less than the novel, on the plight of undervalued workers, it explores the constraints in Victorian society which prevent the privileged from leading fulfilling lives.

Deserted by her circus-worker father at just 11, Sissy is taken in to the care of hardened schoolmaster, Mr Gradgrind, who raises his own children to ignore fancies and passions in favour of fact and calculation.

Not that this prevents both from reaching adulthood miserable — Louisa married to a thunderous banker, 30 years her senior, and her brother, Tom, a gambling drunk.

Just as some of Dickens’ characters had to rely on so little, the cannily-timed production — which gains extra resonance arriving during the economic downturn — is low key, with sparse sets, few props and simple lighting design.

Yet it is still rich with meaning and startling visuals which include puppetry and smart physical sequences. The final scene is the one you’ll tell your friends about for its skill, smarts and slick execution. There’s an excellent gambling montage – realised through physical experimentation - too.

It’s a credit to the excellent cast of just three, who seamlessly switch between multiple, well-crafted characters (James Hyland going from sleazy to charming with ease and conviction) and theatrical disciplines.

Bleak but brilliant, Hard Times will mesmerise with its impeccably-acted, creative storytelling which successfully blends hard drama and physical theatre. It’s worth every carefully-counted penny.

Hard Times at Warehouse Theatre, Croydon until Nov 16. 020 8680 4060

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