'Pericles' review or 'Shelter in the storm.'

'Pericles', William Shakespeare (adapted by Chris Bush and Jim Fortune)
National Theatre, 27th August 2018
Written for The Guardian

Has the National Theatre ever felt as open, compassionate and heartfelt as this? Pericles can be one of Shakespeare’s more difficult plays, notoriously uneven and elusive, but this musical adaptation is a joy. It is the first production in the National Theatre’s Public Acts scheme, and boasts a community chorus of about 200 amateur actors, dancers and musicians. But what might have been a total mess turns out to be mesmerising: a giddy celebration of humanity and our endless capacity for warmth, togetherness and love.

The huge ensemble cast floods Fly Davis’s elegantly sweeping set with performers of all ages, abilities and ethnicities. Emily Lim has corralled the chorus brilliantly but she hasn’t polished the life out of them. Nervous smiles flash towards the audience and Shakespeare’s play feels so much more authentic and touching for it.

The swirling company is supported by six professional actors and spearheaded by Ashley Zhangazha’s richly voiced Pericles, who begins his seafaring adventures in glittering gold but ends them black-cloaked in grief. Chris Bush’s adaptation is streamlined (it runs at under two hours), family friendly (no sex-slaves or incest, thank you) and consistently entertaining, with the emphasis firmly on Shakespeare the storyteller rather than Shakespeare the legend.

Jim Fortune’s original score is catchy, confident and eclectic, with Latin pop, folk and Bollywood influences as well as soaring romantic ballads. His music is complemented by cameo appearances from a range of London-based groups, whose performances are brilliantly varied and deeply soulful. No more so than when Pericles bids farewell to his daughter with a mournful lullaby, and a soloist from the London Bulgarian Choir lets rip with a haunting lament.