We round up the reviews for Carrie Cracknell’s production, playing until the 14th September.
WhatsOnStage: *** “What this Grapes of Wrath ultimately leaves us with is the unmistakable sense of being in the presence of greatness, but of not having fully got to grips with its source material. For all the astonishing and sometimes beautiful stage pictures, the understated brilliance of Jones’s performance, and the haunting musicality, I’m not convinced that this isn’t a story that is better told on page or screen.”
The Reviews Hub:*** “The second act brings no more joy and is still episodic, but Cracknell fills it with memorable dramatic set pieces and stirring special effects. A fight, a thunderstorm, etc. heighten the human dramas which grow in intensity. Billed as a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit, this stage version of The Grapes of Wrath often becomes a trial of the endurance of the audience’s spirit as it impresses and depresses in more or less equal measures.”
Time Out: *** “In the end it’s absolutely fine, but NT has a history of bringing overwhelming resources to bear on its revivals of classics to create something truly once-in-a-lifetime; this feels underpowered by those standards. Great story, great cast, great accents; but it’s not Cracknell’s most imaginative hour by a long shot – a fresh adaptation might have made all the difference. You’d have a heart of stone not to be sucked in by Steinbeck’s tale, but those grapes taste just a liiiittle bit sour.”
The Guardian: *** “The second half brings more drama as the family contend with everything from childbirth to flooding. The final scene of the book must surely be one of the most difficult to pull off on stage, with its mix of horror and hope, the sense of life struggling against death, and sacrifice against survival. This, at least, is pulled off, emotional drama infusing the visual effect in a way that is too often missing from what has preceded it.”
The Stage: **** “Moving performances animate Carrie Cracknell’s stately, sombre take on the classic parable of poverty and perseverance.”
Evening Standard: *** “Despite a powerhouse cast led by Broadway legend Cherry Jones and our own Harry Treadaway, this adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Depression-era odyssey by the late Chicagoan theatre-maker Frank Galati is enjoyable for all the wrong reasons.”
London Unattached: ” This production of The Grapes of Wrath is rather safe and staid. The actors did their best but the adaptation felt dated and the production was too lengthy. Perhaps it has been selected as the summer holiday show to appeal to families and those studying Steinbeck’s novel as part of the school curriculum, but I would hope for more challenging material from the National Theatre.”
iNews: **** “Carrie Cracknell’s sweeping and epic production of stylishly sculpted ensemble work, of an adaptation that won Frank Galati a host of Tony Awards, makes us uncomfortably, insistently aware of the modern-day parallels, of well-intentioned migrant workers at the mercy of factors far out of their control.”
The Telegraph: **** “The National’s carefully restrained yet searing production of Steinback’s bleak Depression-era classic exerts an iron grip.”
All That Dazzles: *** “This production of The Grapes Of Wrath has plenty of potential, but hasn’t quite reached it yet. It’s quite fitting that the journey of this production, for me, mirrors that of the story itself in that it goes on a journey to find something better but gets lost with some twists along the way, never quite managing to lift itself out of the darkness.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-grapes-of-wrath/