The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 & 2 ★★★★★ Park Theatre | Oct 11 - Dec 7, 2024


John Galsworthy traced the fortunes of the Forsyte family over several novels and in various short interludes. His sprawling chronicle of this upper middle class family and their tangled love lives has been the subject of both films and television series, and now it comes to the stage in an excellent adaptation by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan. The story is presented as a retrospective narrated by Fleur, the daughter of Soames Forsyte, whose fraught relationship with his wife, Irene, is the main subject of Part 1. Soames, brilliantly played by Joseph Millson, is both possessed by his passions and determined to possess what he is passionate about. Whether he is being driven by his love of art or by an obsession with his wife, he is determined to "own" the objects of his desire. This compulsive behaviour is then mirrored in Part 2 by his daughter, Fleur, in her relationship with her cousin, Jon. Writers McKenna and Coghlan have ingeniously managed to maintain the central threads of Galsworthy's plot and to expose the important themes of his multigenerational work. However, because the same actors assume various roles in the complex family structure, it can sometimes become confusing, and the family tree in the programme is definitely useful. Fiona Hampton does a splendid job of capturing the vulnerability and underlying fervour of Irene, and the scenes between her and Millson crackle with a tension that is hard to match in the relationship of Jon and Fleur in Part 2. Flora Spencer-Longhurst is wonderfully arch as the manipulative Fleur, and Andy Rush is convincingly manipulable as the rather dim, Jon, but there is none of the charisma here that Rush brought to his role as Irene's lover, Bosinney, and the love triangle in Part 2 lacks much of the energy of that in Part 1. Nevertheless, it is still fascinating to watch this new variation on the theme of obsessive love play out. The set for both shows is wisely minimalist, letting the audience use its imagination and trusting a powerful cast to recreate Galsworthy's intriguing world. Two plays can make for a long day in the theatre, but this is a stage adaptation of a monumental work that is definitely worth the time invested.

Rated: ★★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Mitzi De Margary

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Map & Location: 13 Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP, UK

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