The Visit at The Olivier

Let’s get the negative out of the way first; The Visit currently playing at The Olivier, is too long and that’s even with half an hour lopped off the initial running time.  The main positive is that the wonderful Lesley Manville is in the title role.

Tony Kushner of Angels in America fame (amongst others) is responsible for adapting this play by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrematt, whilst Jeremy Herrin is in charge of directing the huge cast.  Vicki Mortimer has designed the lavish set, Paul Constable is responsible for some stunning lighting and various other professionals ensure that the band, choir, dry ice, sumptuous costumes and on stage Ford Thunderbird produce a perfect all singing, all dancing production worthy of the vast Olivier stage.

Lesley Manville’s Claire Zachanassian, is the “richest woman in the world” who, in the mid 1950’s has returned to her hometown of Slurry, New York to seek revenge.  Slurry is dingy, dreary Hicksville, whilst its famous visitor has been ravaged by life and seven ex-husbands, resulting in (not necessarily from) metal legs, fake hand and an overwhelming desire to have her childhood sweetheart, Alfred III (Hugo Weaving), killed.  Unwilling to perform this murder herself, Zachanassian offers the town a billion dollars for one of its inhabitants to do the deed for her.  Slurry is on its uppers and any injection of cash would be more than welcome, but shopkeeper Alfred is a very popular member of the community, so how will the town’s residents react?  Will they be corrupted by the offer of bucket-loads of dollars?

Well, it seems that they will, ingratiating themselves as they do with their surprise visitor and then blithely buying on credit anything and everything in the certainty that Alfred will die.

The spending spree is comically presented, whilst the tender moments, thanks to the acting prowess of Manville and Weaving, are extremely powerful.  But it’s difficult to determine whether Kushner has intended the play to be based more on reality than surreality.  He is a playwright who loves excess and, unfortunately, each scene is excessively long.

That’s not to say that The Visit isn’t worth a visit and that’s not just to witness a sublime actress at work; whenever Manville is on stage, she is riveting to watch.  The opening scenes set at the train station are a coup de theatre. Thanks to masses of dry ice and superb sound effects, one can be forgiven for believing that the 10am express from New York has actually found its way onto the Olivier stage.