Withnail and I at Birmingham Rep review – ‘went to the theater by mistake’

Withnail & I is a long-time cult favorite in our house. Written in 1987 by Bruce Robinson, this is the first time it has been adapted for the stage – and was directed by Bruce himself.

And double Olivier Award winner Sean Foley, artistic director of Birmingham Rep, was certainly the man to direct. From the live band on stage, which played Hendrix, The Beatles and Procol Harum (King Curtis), to the outstanding sets and seamless changes, this was a beautifully crafted production.

Set in the late sixties, Withnail and Me tells the story of two unlikely friends and out-of-work actors – the flamboyant and hard-drinking Withnail and the shy and contemplative Marwood – who live in squalor in a London flat until they make up their minds. to go on holiday to a cottage in the Lake District. But it all goes horribly wrong, leading to the highly quotable line “I went on vacation by mistake!”

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That’s the key to why this movie is so beloved, is that it’s so quotable. In fact, the guys behind us were quoting it so loudly that they were told to shut up by an usher. It’s one of those movies that if you love it, you probably love it until the end.

And that’s what made it such a hard nut to crack. He was always going to get a good crowd, but that crowd was clearly a mix of people who had never seen him before, sitting alongside those who knew him word for word. How does he keep everyone happy?

There were clear moments for us, namely drug dealer Danny, played by Adam Young (TV’s Sex Education), who completely stole the show with his brilliant portrayal of the wild-eyed stoner who threatens Withnail with the ’embalmer’ and drugs. rats in the apartment. We also enjoyed Malcolm Sinclair’s highly convincing performance as Uncle Monty, who lends the pair their holiday cottage and tries to take advantage of Marwood, played well by Adonis Siddique.

Moments that weren’t in the film were added, such as both characters engaging in a sword fight and a poem written by Monty, both of which were nicely done, while the rest of the time, it remained pretty faithful to the original. scenario.

I wondered if anyone other than Richard E Grant could do justice to the role of Withnail. BAFTA-nominated Robert Sheehan, best known for E4’s Misfits, made for an Ade Edmondson-esque caricature of the title character. It was entertaining, but not funny, and I felt that the first half galloped along at an alarming pace, with barely a breath to stop and reflect on the words he was saying or pause for comic effect. It’s an almost impossible task to play an iconic character because you’re always going to be measured against the original, and he did a good job.

The tempo slowed down satisfyingly in the second half, and we enjoyed Hamlet’s soliloquy at the end, although it wasn’t as tear-jerking as in the film. One of the best moments had to be when the characters jumped into an old Jaguar and ‘drove’ to Penrith, shouting ‘scrubbers’ from the car before being arrested on the way back. The scenery flew onto the walls of the stage as the band blasted All Along the Watchtower – the masterpiece that is synonymous with the film.

All in all, it was a fun and well done show. Find out more and book tickets on the Birmingham REP website. It runs until Saturday 25 May, with a relaxed performance on 20 May, a subtitled performance on 21 May and an audio description performance on 25 May.