Puntualmente allo scadere dell'embargo, la mattina del 6 aprile sono uscite le recensioni di A Little Life. Difficilmente potranno influenzare il pubblico, visto che le repliche sono sold out da molto tempo.
I giudizi sull'adattamento teatrale del romanzo e sulla messa in scena variano (il libro è stato un fenomeno letterario molto controverso e i critici che lo hanno detestato non sono riusciti a mantenere sufficiente obiettività nel giudicare la produzione teatrale), ma c'è unanimità sulla eccezionale interpretazione di James Norton nel ruolo di Jude.
Zubin Varla, James Norton e Elliot Cowan in una scena
di A Little Life. Foto: Jan Versweyveld
Ecco cosa dicono di lui:
"Norton is extraordinary: a man pushed to the limits of endurance and beyond, groping for meaning in an existence of pulverising brutality" - The Stage
"James Norton is astonishing in A Little Life" - INews
"What rings truest is Norton’s honesty. His entirely open, increasingly blood-drenched performance brims with anguish" - Variety
"Norton’s courageous performance makes Jude’s torment almost Biblical in this shattering indictment of paedophilia and the physical and psychological scars that result." - Express
"Norton is superb at suggesting hidden depths." - Telegraph
"Norton is astonishing as Jude, switching in a moment from eager, hopeful child to damaged, guarded adult and finally to empty husk. His honesty and vulnerability are exemplary, his physical endurance staggering" - Financial Times
"Norton convinces as Jude at every stage" - Guardian
"The production owes an enormous amount to Norton, a likable and attractive stage-trained TV star in a role that playgoers might otherwise recoil from, and this performance is sure to be a contender for the Olivier Awards, Britain’s equivalent of the Tonys." - New York Times
"Norton takes us from young boy to exhausted middle-aged man - and then flits effortlessly between the two - with absolute believability and heart-wrenching vulnerability." - Daily Mail
"James Norton gives a truly titanic performance as New York lawyer Jude, who we follow from childhood to deep middle age" - TimeOut
"Norton’s astonishing performance puts him into the top rank" - Evening Standard
"Norton finds a nuanced way of showing Jude’s damage that is still naturalistic without the need for embellishment. To have the mental strength to not just act, but live Jude’s story eight times a week is nothing short of phenomenal" - WestEndBF
"Norton brings a shattering vulnerability to the stage that makes your heart break; his total conviction and commitment to the role see him exposing himself in every possible way" - Playsinternational
Un riepilogo delle recensioni su A Little Life è disponibile su WestEndTheatre.com