The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon at Original Theatre online

Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon at Original Theatre online | Theatre review
12 October 2020
Jonathan Marshall
Avatar
Jonathan Marshall
12 October 2020

Our ceaseless fascination with space is down to the fact that there is simply still so much we don’t know. 2020 continues to be plagued with never-ending uncertainty; it’s been hard on every one and has put both the best and worst of human behaviour on display. Like the three protagonists in Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon, though, we are ultimately all in this together.

Most industries are suffering at present but none more so than the Arts, which have always offered a constant form of escapism in trying times. With the pandemic stripping us of theatre as we know it, a glimmer of hope is found in the amount of online content companies are producing: creativity is still thriving.

The story of the failed Apollo 13 mission is familiar – a loss of power left three astronauts stranded in space – and it was memorably given the Hollywood treatment in the 1995 film, starring Tom Hanks. Here we are offered a play that is sensitively loyal to the event, thanks to the use of transcripts and archive material, yet it takes on a far more pertinent dimension in our current the climate.

There are echoes of the aforementioned feature film version in terms of the overall look of the production. The combined talent and vision of co-directors Alastair Whatley and Charlotte Peters, with film director Tristan Shepherd, results in a hugely ambitious and aesthetically impressive play that also manages to retain the intimate quality of theatre. The fact that this was filmed in the homes of the actors because of social distancing is frankly something of a marvel. If this is a sign of where online plays could be headed until the much-awaited return of live theatre, audiences are in safe hands.

Writer Torben Betts provides an intelligent and cleverly structured script, which gives the cast ample material to draw from in order to offer engaging and affecting performances.  Christopher Harper, Michael Salami and Tom Chambers display compelling chemistry, which, given they filmed their scenes separately, is testament to their remarkable aptitude as actors.

With numerous close-ups of the cast, we are able to see their emotive facial expressions in a way live theatre cannot allow. Though this is a result of social distancing, the technique succeeds in amping up the tension and allows us to really believe in the characters and what they are facing.  

The documentary-style approach, opening with a fictional reunion of astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, adds a touching realism to proceedings. These scenes inter-cut the flashback action throughout, creating a successful balance between the quieter, reflective moments and the more tense scenes. There is also scope for commentary on current issues, and, although this sometimes veers towards over-sentimentality, it somehow works.  It’s more than evident that a great deal of thought, attention and passion has been invested here by the cast and creative team.

Thought-provoking, poignant and in many ways thematically reflective of the current isolation with which we are all inflicted, this is ultimately a story of hope and survival. It leaves the audience reassured that a simple sense of humanity can get us through the darkest of experiences.

★★★★★

Jonathan Marshall

Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon is available to livestream at Original Theatre Online from 8th October until 31st December 2020. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Related Itemsalastair whatleyapollo 13charlotte petersdocumentaryfeaturedlivestreamonline theatreoriginal theatrereviewSpace

More in Theatre

The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre

★★★★★
Natallia Pearmain
Read More

Dirty Dancing the Movie in concert at Apollo Theatre

★★★★★
Jim Compton-Hall
Read More

My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

“When you’re presented with different dilemmas in life, you respond accordingly”: Debbie Kurup on The Cher Show

Mae Trumata
Read More

2:22 A Ghost Story at Criterion Theatre

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

The House of Shades at Almeida Theatre

★★★★★
Csilla Tornallyay
Read More

Grease at Dominion Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

House of Ife at Bush Theatre

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More

Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Jonathan Marshall

Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon

★★★★★

Dates

8th October - 31st December 2020

Price

£17.50-£20

Links & directions

TwitterFacebookWebsiteNo map

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7 June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar
    Food & Drinks
  • The Road Dance
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Paolo Nutini at the 100 Club
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film
    Cannes
  • When You Finish Saving the World
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Marcel!
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • More than Ever (Plus que Jamais)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Plan 75
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Enys Men
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • The Stranger
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • More than Ever (Plus que Jamais)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Plan 75
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Dirty Dancing the Movie in concert at Apollo Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic at the British Museum
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Eo (Hi-Han)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

That Was All at The Space | Theatre review
LPO X NG: Dvořák Terzetto in C with soloists from the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the National Gallery | Live review