Review: THELMA & LOUISE at Young Vic

The Young Vic’s stage musical of the story of two such women who shuffle-off their inattentive menfolk with the aim of enjoying a girls’ weekend to a log cabin, fits neatly into the venue’s expansive playing area. At their first pitstop along the way, Thelma (Amy Lennox) and Louise (Rachel Tucker) let down their hair with a few drinks at a bar, soon attracting the unwanted attentions of Harlan (Tamlyn Henderson) a married man who is known by locals to be a serial womaniser. Sure enough when his pawing advances are rebuffed, he turns violent and attempts to rape Thelma in the car park. Louise intercedes and in the ensuing stand-off fires the revolver which prophetically, the women have brought along for protection.

As they leave behind the body and flee across state lines, they pick-up a handsome hitchhiker JD (Jordan Luke Gage). Meanwhile, back home, police investigations gather pace and soon involve the FBI. Due to the lack of gas and funds to make it to the Mexico border, Thelma holds-up a store thereby complicating the efforts of the homicide investigating officer (Trevor Dion Nicholas) to treat their circumstances sympathetically.

With some fine ensemble work from the cast (which includes Jack Butterworth, Alex Gibson-Giorgio and Letitia Hector) the bar scenes with their raucous mix of pick-ups, fights, and line dancing, occupy the eye in director Trip Cullman’s production. Meanwhile the book by Callie Khouri and songs written by Neko Case provide an unmistakably southern feel which is less musical theatre and more raw-indy-rock-meets-moody-ballads in style.

The overall effect is a solid and occasionally charming musical which eschews whimsy in favour of real life jeopardy, and is a female buddy tale which comes close to emulating the shenanigans of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Even the final exhilarating moment which patrons will undoubtedly remember from the film, is theatrically achieved, without need of the famous Ford Thunderbird Convertible.

THELMA & LOUISE plays 2 hours and 20 mins (including interval) and continues at the Young Vic until 24th October.

Thelma & Louise Tickets