Almodóvar. Stages.

Last week, Guardian columnist Marcel Berlins issued a blanket argument against stage adaptations of films; now, Lyn Gardner presents the counter-argument, citing Samuel Adamson's adaptation of Pedro Almodóvar's All About My Mother for the Old Vic, "David Eldridge's superb Festen, Simon Bent's delightful version of Elling currently at Trafalgar Studios and of course Emma Rice's brilliant, freewheeling adaptation of A Matter of Life and Death - which Berlins mentions as an example of what the National should not be doing but appears not to have actually seen. I'd be interested to know where Berlin stands on page to stage adaptations."

Michael Billington reviews All About My Mother, the play: "[W]hile Adamson keeps the intertextual references to A Streetcar Named Desire, Blood Wedding and All About Eve, there is no way he can match the movie's propulsive rhythm and deft shorthand: you lose classic Almodóvar moments as when a dying daughter is recognised by her demented father's dogs but not by the man himself. That a 95-minute film has become a 150-minute play says much.... The result is a sincere attempt to re-invent a great movie. But who would want a copy, however well done, when they can have the original?"

Four out of five stars, though, from Benedict Nightingale in the London Times; same for Nicholas de Jongh in the Evening Standard; the Telegraph's Charles Spencer is "prepared to give only two cheers... ingenious, moving and amusing though it is."

Meanwhile, Almodóvar "is focusing on a new original screenplay as his possible next film, with a starring role for Penélope Cruz," report John Hopewell and Emilio Mayorga for Variety. It's either that or an adaptation of French novel Mygale. "The Spanish director likes to have several projects on the go simultaneously."

Earlier: Ben Walters's background on All About My Mother at the Old Vic for Time Out.

Posted by dwhudson at September 6, 2007 5:12 AM