UK Theatre Network

Birmingham Rep and the West Yorkshire Playhouse are presenting the first tour of Nicholas Wright’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s internationally successful trilogy of books “His Dark Materials” (consisting of “Northern Lights”, “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass”). The books have often been compared to “Harry Potter”, but in fact go much deeper. They challenge our perceptions of religion and examine the importance of family and friends. In fact the books have caused a lot of controversy amongst Christian groups, as they believe the books champion atheism.

Despite this the story and the books themselves are beautifully written and Nicholas Wright has done a brilliant job of adapting the epic story into a six hour piece of theatre. Due to its length, the play has been split into two parts.

The story is set in a world similar to our own, except everyone has a daemon. A daemon is an animal, a companion that is part of us and stays with us throughout our lives. In this world Lyra, a young girl abandoned by her parents must discover the truth behind where she came from. She must rescue her friend Roger, who along with the other children is having his daemon cut away from him. And with the help of her friend Will she must fight to protect the future of the world and all other worlds.

It’s a superb story that is well told by the ensemble of actors. All of them play many different parts, except Amy McAllister who puts in a superb performance as the headstrong yet brave Lyra. The daemons are also brought to life by fantastic puppets by the Blind Summit company. The cast work well together in creating a fantastic adventure that not only entertains, but challenges and stimulates as well. They also make great use of Ruari Murchison’s simple and effective set in telling the story.

An epic, yet enthralling piece of theatre!

Listings:

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

21 to 24 May

Thu 7:00pm – Part One

Fri 2:00pm – Part One / 7:00pm – Part Two

Sat 2:00pm – Part One / 7:00pm – Part Two

Sun 1:00pm – Part One / 6:00pm – Part Two

Tickets: £15.50 - £23.00

Box Office: 0131 529 6000

www.eft.co.uk

Then touring until 20 June