[title]
Linda Marlowe takes over the role of Maude from April 2
A noose hangs in the middle of Francis O’Connor’s Magritte-esque set at the beginning of ‘Harold and Maude’. It’s a bleak portent of things to come – but as fans of the original cult film by Hal Ashby will know, there’s no need to worry about the gangly boy putting it round his neck: his suicide is an elaborate prank, one staged to grab the attention of his smothering, controlling, high-society mother.
Thus we meet sullen, solitary 19-year-old Harold Chasen (Bill Milner), who encounters 79-year-old Maude (Sheila Hancock) at the funeral of someone neither of them knew. She’s an anarchic, bohemian-ish Middle European émigré who likes stealing cars, righting wrongs, and leaving a general trail of mayhem in her wake. Taking an immediate liking to each other, they form an unconventional but utterly devotional relationship.
In a slew of film-to-theatre adaptations currently in London, this is one that’s not too wedded to its referent. The early-’70s, conservative West Coast milieu is retained – double-breasted suits, terracotta flares, bouffant hair – but Thom Southerland’s production is played far more broadly. The decision to have supporting cast members continually present on-stage, playing a tango-esque score on instruments works to mixed success. It suits the farcical scenes (like Harold’s series of ill-fated, gut-splittingly funny blind dates), but much less so in the more unguarded scenes between the titular characters, where they only intrude on the tenderness.
Which is a credit to Milner and Hancock’s layered, captivating performances. He’s too sly and impulsive to be a bog-standard mummy’s boy; a spiky, time-earned cynicism prevents her from just being a batty old dear. One at the beginning of life, the other at the end, they both reject the dreary conformity of the world around them. A certain over-direction keeps this in three-star territory, but the two performances at the heart of this off-kilter love story keep it as sweetly touching as it first was 47 years ago.