The Hunger Games: On Stage West End Reviews

Too long has been spent on looks and not enough importance has been given to the exploration of the themes. The sociopolitical allegories and the symbolism are mere afterthoughts of a grand spectacle. We don’t truly witness the wealth gap between t...

Too long has been spent on looks and not enough importance has been given to the exploration of the themes. The sociopolitical allegories and the symbolism are mere afterthoughts of a grand spectacle. We don’t truly witness the wealth gap between the Districts, nor do we absorb the reason why the Games exist. Splashes of ideas are thrown in without developing them or unravelling their significance, perhaps in the hopes that the audiences will fill in the gaps with their own knowledge of the franchise. Everything happens too quickly. This is obviously due to the medium’s restrictions, but it’s also the horrid aftermath of having to cut a much longer and more ponderous project.

Dunster’s direction largely keeps the various strands of Panem’s storylines in tight focus, and the team have a lot of fun when the tributes reach the Capitol. The fights, choreographed by Kevin McCurdy, are consistently inventive. The act one tr...

Dunster’s direction largely keeps the various strands of Panem’s storylines in tight focus, and the team have a lot of fun when the tributes reach the Capitol. The fights, choreographed by Kevin McCurdy, are consistently inventive. The act one training sequence is one of the show’s high points, giving a sense of rhythm and danger without ever slipping into repetition. In the second-half arena scenes, McCurdy keeps the movement varied and engaging, ensuring that each encounter feels distinct. One key death, among the most devastating in the source material, is handled with real precision – a passage that lands with genuine authenticity.

Intriguingly, McPherson admits in a programme note that he initially conceived of his script as a conversation taking place around a kitchen table with minimal props, leaving it to the audience’s imagination to fill in the gaps. How one wishes that...

Intriguingly, McPherson admits in a programme note that he initially conceived of his script as a conversation taking place around a kitchen table with minimal props, leaving it to the audience’s imagination to fill in the gaps. How one wishes that a way could have been found to make this daring idea happen. Instead we are left with a mediocre half-way house, neither theatrically coherent nor, alas, a patch on the far superior films.

Made in the same mould as the stage version of Stranger Things, this show is not as consistently eye-popping. The production bursts into life in the second half, when the Tributes find themselves in the killing field. There is a brutal frenzy as ligh...

Made in the same mould as the stage version of Stranger Things, this show is not as consistently eye-popping. The production bursts into life in the second half, when the Tributes find themselves in the killing field. There is a brutal frenzy as light, sound and movement combine forcefully. It excels in action drama, and at times seems like an analogy for child soldiers in real-life wars.

The cast does an honourable job of portraying the ravenous, genetically engineered creatures that go on the rampage towards the end. Euan Garrett wins our sympathy as Katniss’s comrade Peeta, while Stavros Demetraki camps it up as Caesar Flickerman...

The cast does an honourable job of portraying the ravenous, genetically engineered creatures that go on the rampage towards the end. Euan Garrett wins our sympathy as Katniss’s comrade Peeta, while Stavros Demetraki camps it up as Caesar Flickerman, the games’ compere played in the film by a bewigged Stanley Tucci. While there were reports of chaotic scenes in the foyer at previews, things moved smoothly at the show I attended. There’s presumably more than enough of a fanbase to keep this venture running and running, but it really needs some genetic engineering of its own.

Transporting such a roaming, highly technical story to the stage is ambitious. And in Dunster’s production, there’s some friction between making it theatrical, with a largely bare stage leaving detailed world-building to the audience’s imaginat...

Transporting such a roaming, highly technical story to the stage is ambitious. And in Dunster’s production, there’s some friction between making it theatrical, with a largely bare stage leaving detailed world-building to the audience’s imagination, and a desire to impress with spectacle, flames and mid-air fights. There are no attempts to hide the harnesses that send the story’s heroine, Katniss (Mia Carragher, in a physically demanding stage debut) soaring, or to make the crane arm that she climbs look like a tree. These moments can seem like watching a behind-the-scenes video showcasing green-screen technology.

There are problems. Mia Carragher is certainly up to the considerable physical demands of playing Katniss, and maybe that’s why she got the role - there are no stunt doubles here. But she’s somewhat light on the ol’ charisma and she talks in a ...

There are problems. Mia Carragher is certainly up to the considerable physical demands of playing Katniss, and maybe that’s why she got the role - there are no stunt doubles here. But she’s somewhat light on the ol’ charisma and she talks in a breathy Marilyn Monroe-style accent that is odd bordering on distracting. She’s not helped by Conor McPherson’s adaptation, which casts her as both protagonist and narrator. It’s true that there’s a lot to explain. But in such an action-heavy format, having the lead character constantly offering background on what’s going on really undermines the sense of her living in a dangerous moment.

One aspect that cannot be faulted is the energy, stamina and athleticism of the performers, many of whom come from dance backgrounds. Carragher herself must run tens of miles during each performance; her indefatigability is commendable, even though M...

One aspect that cannot be faulted is the energy, stamina and athleticism of the performers, many of whom come from dance backgrounds. Carragher herself must run tens of miles during each performance; her indefatigability is commendable, even though McPherson’s bewilderingly clunky script leaves her with far too much exposition to plough through. This could have been, should have been, a grippingly urgent piece of entertainment to set the heart racing and mind humming with potential parallels between Panem and our world today. As it is, I was mentally planning my journey home long before the end.