Review: The Red Barn

The Red Barn is a new work by David Hare, based on the novel, La Main, by Georges Simenon. Staged at the National, directed by the inimitable Robert Icke, and boasting a cast including Mark Strong and Elizabeth Debicki (of Night Manager fame), it is hard to see where it could go wrong.

The piece's initial reviews had been positive. However, I've been wary of glowing reviews since going to see Lazarus (widely loved) and hating it, so I wondered how good Hare's new work was actually going to be.

Thankfully, The Red Barn lived up to expectations, and them some.

The central performances by Strong, Debicki, and Hope Davis (God of Carnage) are beautifully understated, and the gradual development of Donald Dodd (Strong), as he becomes aware of his lack of agency in the world is a fascinating thing to watch unfold. Strong's communication of Dodd's simmering jealousy underpins the whole piece, and the performance gives coherence to the fragments of the unfolding story.

The stand-out feature of this production, however, is the staging. It is a prime example of the National pushing what it is possible to achieve on the stage, which they have the clout to do. The cinematic nature of the rapid scene changes is stunning to behold, and the audience's dialogue on the way out of the theatre revolved around how some of the set changes were actually possible. It is a triumph of form.

This success of execution makes The Red Barn a must-watch. To see scenes on a stage transition between a blizzard and an interior is a marvel of stage craft, and utterly unlike anything else around at the moment. With this in mind, I would suggest you get yourself down to the Lyttelton before The Red Barn closes, because it truly lives up to the hype.

4/5 - Innovative stage craft and slow-burn performances: see it... don't get left out in the cold!
The Lyttelton, National Theatre until 17th January