All About Eve

Joseph Mankiewicz’s script for the original movie version of All About Eve (1950) contains some of the best dialogue and character studies ever committed to celluloid – consummately performed by actors born to play the parts. A very hard act to follow on screen, but this quip-rich drama is ideal for a stage adaptation. 

Divisive, experimental Belgian director, Ivo Van Hove has tried for a midway point, incorporating filmic devices in his National Theatre production, achieving an uneven, unsatisfying result. The main set is predominantly a dull brownish-red, sparsely accessorised. Van Hove employs a roving camera to take us to off-set rooms, most often, the kitchen which, with dark maroon full wall tiles looks more like a seedy public toilet. Another lens behind a dresser mirror captures facial expressions close up. These are all projected on a screen above the stage. It adds nothing, is intrusive, incongruous, and frankly, unsophisticated. It’s a testament to the script that it still manages to rise above this faux artistry. Credit is also due to the actors who all give fine performances, with Monica Dolan as Karen and Julian Ovenden as Bill particularly notable. 

★★★