A whirligig of a production
Vanity Fair is a long and quite difficult book to summarise in two hours.
But, in the open air (in the gardens of Dulwich Picture Gallery) The Moving Parts touring Theatre Company gave it a damn good try.
A cast of nine (many doubling) filled their stage as anything from school girls to carriage horses, via stilt walkers, fire eaters and the expected Vanity Fair characters.
Several were musicians, and others beat drums.
The ‘Fair’ element, integral to Thackeray’s mindset, was kept front-and centre – this allowed the majority of the characters (somewhat stock) to explode onto the stage where necessary, whilst the three ‘real’ (or perhaps more real) characters, Becky Sharpe, quick witted, untrustworthy - (Katrina Michaels); Amelia Sedley, an over-trusting saint - (Anna Blackburn); William Dobbin – the best of men (Tom Beattie) were portrayed far more rounded, as they are in the novel.
Joanna Nevin (a co-producer) played a plethora of characters, some back-to-back – but principally a very convincing Rawdon Crawley (Becky’s betrayed husband).
The production managed spectacle, lots of humour and real pathos which avoided bathos. And did, I think, very much honour Thackeray’s intent.
The play was (quite expertly) adapted - with additional music - from the novel by the production team.
The links above indicate the future 2025 tour for this production