Trafalgar Studios
14 Whitehall,
Westminster,
London SW1A 2DY
In April 1869, Victor Hugo published a French Novel L'Homme qui rit. The English translation was The Man Who Laughs. It has since been adapted for stage and screen.
In 2016 a musical adaptation titled The Grinning Man opened at the Bristol Old Vic, followed by a transfer to the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End from December 2017. The writer is Carl Grose and Tim Phillips & Marc Teitler are the Composer-Lyricists. The tragi-comic musical is directed by Tom Morris who co-directed War Horse.
The adapted story tells of an orphan boy Grinpayne who finds another orphaned baby girl in the freezing forest. They are rescued by a wolf Homo and taken in by a carnival vendor Ursus. Grinpayne has a mutilated face (and is perhaps the inspiration for the Joker in the Batman series) and Dea (the girl) is blind. They grow up together, with Grinpayne's disfigurement being used as a carnival attraction.
The carnival comes to London where royalty happens to see Grinpayne and instead of being horrified or disgusted or treating him as an object of humour or ridicule, Prince Dirry-Moir arrives at some kind of self-awareness and self-actualisation which pulls him out of his ennui. He introduces Grinpayne to Princess Josiana who wants to marry him.
But who is Grinpayne?
How did his face get so thoroughly mutilated as a child?
Why can't he remember his past?
Whose love is true? Dea's or Princess Josiana's?
The story itself is a tale about class differences and the vagaries of Royal edicts. Originally set in 17th Century England, under the reign of King James II it was also a political commentary of the times.
At the Trafalgar studios, the stage sets encompass the whole theater and it feels as though you are actually under the big top of a carnival. The sets by designer Jon Bausor are stunning, the music hummable and memorable, the acting is very good and the story makes you laugh and cry in turns. However, THE stand out of the show for me is the outstanding puppetry by Finn Caldwell and Toby Olié for Gyre & Gimble (best known for their work on War Horse). The puppets aren't caricatures, but characters themselves. The wolf and the younger versions of Grinpayne and Dea. So life like and relatable, it is very easy to empathise with them.
Louis Maskell as Grinpayne and Julian Bleach as Barkilphedro are phenomenal. Amanda Wilkin as Josiana hits some fantastic notes.
Definitely a must watch. Whether you enjoy, theater, musicals or puppetry there's something here for everybody. Its running until April 2018 at Trafalgar Studios.
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