It was 1991 that the film of Thelma and Louise first appeared, a sweeping road journey through iconic southern Americana landscapes, as dazzling cinematically as it was gritty (and indeed funny) in its tale of two women on the run. Callie Khouri won an Oscar for her screenplay and she had always wanted to turn it into a musical. In the new version now running at the Young Vic, she does exactly that.
There are, inevitably, some sacrifices. Those sweeping landscapes have disappeared and, with them, the sense of movement that drives the two women on towards their hoped-for destination, Mexico, and their actual one at the Grand Canyon. The sense of a journey conveyed only by lights zipping around the otherwise dark set is a sad loss but, by way of compensation, there is Neko Case’s earthy country rock that drives the story and the central relationship between Thelma and Louise.
Briefly then, the plot. Thelma, a shrinking violet married young to a bully of a husband, is persuaded by her best friend, Louise, to spend a weekend at a lakeside cabin. They never make it. Stopping off on the way at a bar, Thelma gets drunk and dances with Harlan who tries to rape her in the car park. Louise shoots him and, believing no one will ever accept it’s self-defence, they hit the road to escape the law. There are, of course, other adventures – JD (the drifter played by Brad Pitt in the film) provides Thelma with a sexual awakening but also steals all their money. Thelma turns robber and, in one memorable scene, the pair strip a policeman and steal his gun.
So, while the road itself might have disappeared (except for a moment when you see the upturned Thunderbird) the girls on the run are strong as ever. And they have big boots to fill – Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon’s to be precise. Amy Lennox as Thelma and Rachel Tucker as Louise deliver in spades – their energy and musicality have star quality and their chemistry is intense. This is a story about women and friendship – it’s just the two of them against the world. The audience loves it (I think there were quite a few people who could probably recite the original script as well as those on stage). And, boy, can these two deliver a song.
Lennox and Tucker are centre stage throughout and it’s definitely their show but there is a strong cast behind them. Jordan Luke Gage is an engaging JD and Detective Hal Slocumb becomes the only black detective in the district, played by a thoughtful and sympathetic Trevor Dion Nicholas. Samuel Edwards has a hilariously disbelieving cameo as Thelma’s husband. The ensemble cast drive the musical energy on, with some great singers and indeed dancers (choreography by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber) – the last time I saw two-steps as good as this were in The Zoo dance hall in Flagstaff, Arizona.
There is surely a good chance this production will find itself going on to a bigger stage and audience. If it can step up the energy towards the end (the second half is currently flagging) and the set gets energized with it, I’d make that a very good chance.
Thelma & Louise is on at the Young Vic Theatre until 24th October. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.youngvic.org.
Photos by Helen Murray
