Never Let Me Go
Bristol Old Vic

SUZANNE HEATHCOTE’S stage adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s highly acclaimed 2005 novel is an assured and theatrically satisfying production.

The dystopian elements of an alternative England that has embraced human cloning are merely the framework on which to hang an elegiac story of friendship and innocent childhood memories recalled from the perspective of an adult world of sacrifice. 

Nell Barlow’s effectively restrained and intelligent performance as the narrator Kathy provides a poignant yet non-judgmental commentary on her seemingly idyllic, rural boarding school days as she tries to come to terms with the fate destined for her and her classmates who were once made to feel so special.

Her temporary, unquestioning role as a carer, dealing with the precious last days of other’s curtailed lives, creates a profound sense of the fragility and transience of life framed by the dark shadows of “scientific progress.”

Mathilda Bailes as her bittersweet friend Ruth, and Angus Imrie as her natural soulmate Tommy give strong performances that add warmth, humour and pathos to their shared childhood and engagement with the life they have been dealt.

The rest of the 10-strong cast effectively multi-role in a fluid series of scene changes that clearly and quickly establish time and place.

Director Christopher Hayden has embraced Heathcote’s script, injecting tension from the outset and playing childhood innocence off against disturbing fatalistic undercurrents, before launching the doomed race against time. The reality of a world where ethics and science have diverged is never allowed to dominate the human drama.

Tom Piper’s neutral set of double doors and opaque windows swiftly transforms from classroom to hospital, from shop to bedroom, its all-encompassing scale suggesting confinement as much as security. A simple yet striking transformation to create the sense of freedom with an escape to the sea is done simply and is judiciously short-lived. 

As with most adaptations of popular novels and successful film versions, this excellent stage production might not satisfy audience members with strong preconceptions, but as a piece of drama in its own right, it is both thought-provoking and moving without ever becoming sentimental and is well worth catching in Bristol or Chichester.

Runs until  November 23. Box office: (0117) 987-7877, bristololdvic.org.uk.