| Admin History | Kneehigh's A Matter of Life and Death was an adaptation by Emma Rice and Tom Morris of Powell and Pressburger's acclaimed 1946 film of the same name. It was a collaboration with the National Theatre amd was performed in the National's Olivier Theatre from 3rd May to 21st June 2007 and saw Bill Mitchell, former Kneehigh collaborator and artistic director of Wildworks theatre, return to design the show..
Although the lead performances by Tristan Sturrock and Lyndsey Marshall were praised for their on stage chemistry, some critics complained of changes to an existing and well-regarded classic of British Cinema. Nicholas de Jongh for the Evening Standard wrote that Kneehigh had 'torn the heart, soul and magic' from the original story and turned it from a story about love and post-war Anglo-American relations into 'a finger-wagging, pacifist sermon, as if victory over Hitler in 1945 was a source of shame not joy'. Michael Billington of The Guardian praised the attempt to reimagine the classic film but complained of a lack of dynamic narrative and long run time. However, some commentators like Susannah Clapp for the Observer praised the darker themes of the production and the decision to change the lovers' nationalities to British, rather than British and American, for its relevance to contemporary international relations.
The varied responses to Rice and Morris' adaptation fed into a wider cultural discussion on how plays directed by women were being received by the contemporary theatrical establishment. The critical response from some publications caused a backlash from Nicholas Hytner [Artistic director of the National Theatre] who said in The Times that "too many of the theatre critics are dead white men".
[Reviews roundup: A Matter of Life and Death - The Guardian: 15th May 2007 - https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/may/15/theatre4 - accessed 17th April 2023].
Cast and production team from FCP12/A/56/5:
- Director - Emma Rice
- Set Designer - Bill Mitchell
- Costume Designer - Vicki Mortimer
- Lighting Designer - Mark Henderson
- Choreographer - Debra Batton and Emma Rice
- Music - Stu Barker
- Sound Designer - Gareth Fry
- Production Designers - Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington
- Lighting Design Associate - Malcolm Rippeth
- Company Voice Work - Kate Godfrey and Jeannette Nelson
Cast
On Earth:
- Peter - Tristan Sturrock
- June - Lyndsey Marshall
- Bob - Craig Johnson
- Girl - Debbie Korley
- Frank - Douglas Hodge
- Dr McEwan - Andy Williams
- Mr Archer - Chiké Okonkwo
- Harold - Mike Shepherd
Between Life and Death:
- Boy - Dan Canham
- Woman - Dorothy Atkinson
- Nurse:
- Fiona Chivers
- Meryl Fernandes
- Lorraine Stewart
- Lizzie Winkler
- Kirsty Woodward
- Injured Soldiers and Airmen:
- Jamie Bradley
- Thomas Goodridge
- Pieter Lawman
- Róbert Luckay
In the Other World:
- Conductor 71 - Gisli Örn Gardarsson
- Chief Recorder - Tamzin Griffin
- First Prosecutor - Stuart McLoughlin
Musicians:
- Stu Barker
- Pete Judge
- Dominic Lawton
- Alex Vann
- Michael Vince |