'Had to leave at the interval': Theatregoers are left traumatised by West End adaptation of cult novel A Little Life - starring James Norton - after graphic on-stage portrayals of sexual abuse and self-harm
- A Little Life opened in Richmond this week before it transfers to the West End
- Read more: Adaptation of hit novel A Little Life could leave fans sobbing
A much-anticipated West End adaptation of cult novel A Little Life - starring Happy Valley's James Norton - has left preview audiences traumatised by its graphic on-stage portrayals of suicide, self-harm and paedophilia.
One attendee at Richmond Theatre, where the stage re-telling of Hanya Yanagihara's 2015 book opened on Tuesday, said they made the decision to leave at the interval after the 'relentless misery' became too much for them.
Another audience member called the adaptation, brought to stage by director Ivo Van Hove, 'possibly the most upsetting, unflinchingly brutal and explicit play I’ve ever seen.'
The performance, which lasts a whopping 3 hours and 40 minutes and will soon transfer to the Savoy Theatre, has a star-studded cast, including James Norton, It's A Sin actor Omari Douglas and Bridgerton's Luke Thompson.
The book, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2015, became a word-of-mouth hit and won the author a following of dedicated fans.
Happy Valley star James Norton takes on the role of Jude St Francis, a lawyer who can't escape a lifetime of abuse in director Ivo Van Hove's stage adaptation of A Little Life
The novel is 814 pages long and follows four classmates from a small US college who move to New York and their relationships with one another, as well as complex issues including sexual abuse, disability and addiction.
After attending early performances this week, fans of the play took to social media to express their shock at just how 'raw' the production is.
One wrote: '#Only made it to the interval of "A Little Life". 1 hour 50' of relentless misery was more than enough for me....(I gather it didn't end 'happily') #Alittlelifeplay.'
The play lasts 3 hours and 40 minutes and features graphic depictions of self-harm
A fellow audience member wrote: '#ALittleLifePlay is brutal. Relentlessly brutal. But also brilliant theatre. The entire cast shines. But it's James Norton who is the powerhouse. Barely off stage for more than 3.5 hours, this may be his best work. Award winning stuff. But not for the faint hearted!'
Another added: 'Possibly the most upsetting, unflinchingly brutal and explicit play I’ve ever seen which is definitely not for the faint of heart. The entire cast soars and James Norton is an absolute powerhouse in this heartbreaking epic.'
One theatregoer penned on Twitter: 'It feels wrong to say you enjoyed something when the content is so raw & difficult, but I am extremely glad I got to see this masterpiece brought to life in such a thoughtful way.'
The novel became a critically acclaimed bestseller, with celebrity fans including Dua Lipa who said the book 'changed her life' on her podcast.
James Norton hasn't shied away from demanding roles - the actor was acclaimed for playing Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley, but this is likely to be one of the star's toughest acting challenges yet.
The actor, who's a Type 1 diabetic, told The Graham Norton Show in November that the play, at 3 hours 40 minutes, is so long he has to eat on stage to keep his blood sugar levels stable.
He told Norton: 'The added component is that I don’t leave the stage for a couple of hours and I am a type 1 diabetic, so I have juice, and I can’t bring it up because it’s got branding on it!
‘But I have sweet things which I’ll have to have scattered around the stage just in case I go hypoglycaemic.’
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