Murder, mystery, madness and redemption in Russia’s most dysfunctional family. In a society where ‘everything is permitted’ for a chosen few, what do the iconic Karamazov brothers have to say to the world today? Read more …
Richard Crane and Faynia Williams’s ground-breaking version of Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece, Brothers Karamazov was the box office hit of the 1981 Edinburgh International Festival. In the precarious world of 2017 it is even more pertinent - politically, spiritually, and societally.
With wit and compassion and underscored by haunting a cappella harmonies sung by the four brothers, Crane’s dramatisation tackles huge philosophical questions such as faith and immortality, the rights of children, and nationalism versus the European ideal.
Murder, madness, relationships, the nature of humanity, the role of religion and politics all feature in an epic and heady mix from the source text.
This striking adaptation perfectly mixes the classic with the contemporary and lingers in the memory long after the lights go down.
Dostoyevsky adaptation takes too long to ignite.
Crushingly disappointing.
If this pick and mix of styles and forms mirrors the scale and ambition of Dostoyevsky's original, it doesn't always make for clarity. It never quite finds enough momentum to transform the immensity of its source material into something that fully does it justice.
Williams’s production features the odd vivid sequence but, taken as a whole, it feels flat and stilted, giving little impression of the thematic sweep of its source.
A beautiful, thought-provoking, but sometimes slightly baffling show.
The Brothers Karamazov mixes a classic text with contemporary theatricality.
Tron Theatre, Glasgow from Thursday October 12, 2017, until Saturday October 28, 2017. More info: www.tron.co.uk
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