From Morning to Midnight - Review by Sean Brooks

** (2 Stars)

Lyttelton, National - Friday 6 December, 2013

Written in 1912, George Kaiser's expressionist From Morning to Midnight arrives at the National's Lyttelton Theatre in a new version by Dennis Kelly.

The story follows an anonymous bank clerk (Adam Godley) who steals 60,000 Marks to impress a wealthy Italian lady (Gina Bellman). Thus begins his long-winded journey into the realisation that having money is not all it's cracked up to be.

The opening scene is nothing short of magnificent as Soutra Gilmour's set encapsulated the monotony of day-to-day life perfect, wonderfully utilising mime and sound.

Godley's performance is brilliant, however, the supporting cast are perhaps not as strong. The piece also suffers from a drop in pace towards the climax and there is a sense of restlessness from the audience.

Whilst certainly not a bad production, it feels as if Melly Still is relying upon visual tricks to make up for a tired story that lacks the punch it had at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Photo: Tristram Kenton

From Morning to Midnight is showing at the Lyttelton, National Theatre until 26 January, 2014. Buy tickets here: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/from-morning-to-midnight?dates#tabpos