As a long term fan of the entire Hunger Games franchise, it would be difficult to review this play as part of that universe. It makes more sense to approach it as a stand alone play; parallel to the book and movie franchise.
The innovative use of staging, sound and lighting was genuinely groundbreaking, using a constant variety of lights, recordings, sound and stage changes that determined the atmosphere of each scene before the actors even entered the stage. Unlike most traditional theatres, all of the seating was around the stage and was categorised in “districts”, whereas the stage represented both District 12 and The Capitol.
The stage itself was probably the most clever part, with the middle, oval shaped section of the stage lowered then elevated to start a scene, such as depicting the train journey the the Capitol, where Effie rises along with the stage, a flawless transition into the new setting and scene. At each end of the stage, large screens were displayed, at some points delivering messages from president Snow, and during the games displayed countdowns, tribute profiles and deaths, making the entire concept much more interactive. As an audience member, this made me feel accountable for the dreadful events that happen inside the games, much more than I would have watching the movies.
The stage play is becoming known for its use of floating and levitating elements, such as a bow and arrow coming down from the ceiling, climbing apparatus in training scenes and gifts from sponsors dropping onto the stage. However, in this particular performance it was announced that some of these elements were not working. When the gifts from sponsors dropped in on parachutes, this was followed by no sound effects and felt as if they were just being thrown onto the stage, producing a rather unwanted comedic effect in such a crucial scene. This is most likely due to the complications with technology during this performance so can be dismissed as a one off event.
Despite the excellent use of staging and interactive technology that is not frequently used in the London theatre scene, the acting and plot itself did appear to be a lower priority to the directors of the show. Despite the play running for 2 months before the performance I attended, some elements of the acting, and especially characterisation of such iconic figures felt rushed, overly stiff and in some places like the play was a trial run.
The character of Katniss Everdeen, played by Mia Carragher, was beautifully altered for the stage, giving her frequent asides to show her point of view, mimicking the books. In these moments, the entire scenes stop just for Katniss’ view to be heard, taking up a significant amount of time in the play, leaving minimal time for other “main” characters to be developed and memorable to the audience.
President Snow, played by John Malkovich, was only shown through speeches in video recording on the screen, and was not on the stage in any part of the play. Although there were pauses in these recordings for responses from on-stage characters, it made Snow’s presence less threatening due to the distance between him and the actual scenes of the play. Malkovich also portrayed Snow using a flat, monosyllabic tone which personally decreased my perception of the President as a threatening dictator, making him seem less of a future problem for Katniss after the games.
Alongside this, some of the iconic characters that would have been expected to appear in the play did not, noticeably the character of Seneca Crane, where the narrative ends with Snow punishing him for his decision made in the games. This sub-plot hence did not exist and felt like it once again weakened President Snow’s character and made the overall plot lack the depth many fans expected.
Despite some amazing moments of acting and choreography, especially within combat scenes, many elements of the plot were inconsistent with the original plot of the hunger games, quite significantly changing the narrative, such as district 12 being the one to initiate the iconic salute of rebellion, the aid given by sponsors, and Haymitch’s relationship with Katniss. This did not particularly affect the quality of the play but is the main reason I found it hard to associate the play with the literary universe it represents.
This play was difficult to review as it was a genuinely good watch, and the interactive and stage elements were interesting and had a great effect on the audience, however it completely went against my expectations of the play, and I still cannot be quite sure if this was in a positive or negative light.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
