.png)
REVIEW | Lanny, Bristol Old Vic
AD | Tickets gifted in exchange of an honest review. All views are our own
Based on the novel by Max Porter and adapted for stage by Bea Roberts, Lanny follows a boy and his family as they move to a small village just outside Bristol, finding out that its culture of folklore might be more than just a story. This world premiere of Lanny was very promising, with a strong and stable book that had me hooked most of the way through. Bristol Old Vic always knows how to make a great show within such an intimate space, and with set design by Rebecca Jane Wood, a truly beautiful show is created. Unfortunately, the downside being the play’s questionable narrative at times for its title character and the costume design in contrast to the set.
For such a small cast, every actor had their own standout moment, from Rupert Holliday Evans as The Lecturer (+ multiple roles) sharing the folklore that creates the building blocks for the rest for the show, Liam Bergin and Rose Wardlaw as the comedic duo Barnsey and Ada (+ multiple roles) portraying familiar pub loving locals, or even Amanda Lawrence as Peggy (+ multiple roles) with the angelic voice that perfectly captures the tone of a village singer. These actors made the unnamed village so much more lively and realistic.
For the larger roles, Richard Cant (playing Pete) plays a strong but vulnerable character, especially during the height of Act two. Raj Bajaj plays a strong but emotionless (at times) father, Robert, who simply wants everything to be resolved without much of a fuss. And Lanny, played by Lucian Thomas, builds a delightful and lovable image of a boy that becomes essential for act two.
The standout actor of the production was Hanora Kamen as Jolie (Lanny’s Mother). The way she addressed the crowd (the physical audience) almost made me feel part of the show, highlighting that no one should find her misery entertainment. The way that Max Porter and Bea Roberts compose this character is just perfect, being a crime fiction author to end up in her own crime story extenuates the character arc that Jolie goes through, especially in the second act.
The book, by Max Porter, is written very strongly, creating a fast paced show where the plot moves on without dragging for too long. Act one’s conclusion set up the rest of the show very nicely, leaving that lingering feeling of what is to come next. But, some parts were left unresolved, definitely within the ending of the show. It is made out to the audience that endings don’t really happen, which would have been a great way to conclude and create that lingering feeling just like the end of act one. But, to bring Lanny back out with his mother creates a resolution and mixes up what Lawrence’s character is trying to accentuate. Also, some of the dialogue between characters such as Lanny and Pete fall flat at times. This could be due to the lack of lines that Lanny had spread out across the play but as the title character, the relationships that Lanny has with other characters should be a driving point of the plot. He felt more of a visual character.
The divide between the modern looking costume design and the ancient looking set design helps blur the lines between fantasy and reality. But I do think the set sadly falls flat at times. Throughout the play, shadows and projections are shown along the flat surfaces and walls, but within act one, these surfaces were designed with trunks and branches which made the projections almost impossible to see. If it wasn't for Evans’ character explaining what was being shown, it would be unclear. And, I get what Wood was trying to accomplish with this design, but the mix between worlds did not come across as impactful as maybe it should have and more confusing to the timeframe, especially with some of my modern dialogue.
To conclude, Lanny has a lot of positive elements to it, from a strong narrative to an amazing cast of actors, all with their own charm that bring the village bustle to life. But unfortunately these positives are shadowed by a few negatives, from a few poorly written encounters between Lanny and other characters, to the final scene where two separate endings are being formed at once. I would say with a few tweaks this could be a very successful play, but for now holds up as a middle of the road.
★★★
Lanny is playing at Bristol Old Vic until the 7th November 2026: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/lanny
