London Tide at the National Theatre

The very stage comes alive, ebbing and flowing with the rising tide of the Thames, in this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend.

John Harmon is beckoned back to London when his wealthy father dies but there is an odd stipulation Harmon must follow in order to collect his inheritance. He must marry Bella Wilfur, a woman of no seeming importance that he has never met before. Before he can link up with the lawyer handling the case, however, John Harmon’s body is found in the Thames. Meanwhile, the Hexam family is thrown into turmoil as Gaffer Hexam is accused of murdering Harmon.

The problem with adapting any Dickens for the stage is that the famed novelist favoured complex, interweaving plots that take too long to play out. The problem with adapting Our Mutual Friend is that it is often considered one of Dickens’s most complex, interweaving plots.

London Tide suffers a little from the sheer bulk of material, needing to tell several concurrent stories. In the mission to tell a nearly 1000-page novel in just three hours, some events and relationships are hurried, and the occasional exposition dump in the form of a monologue is required to get through it. The audience isn’t always given the chance to connect with the characters in the way they should.

But if you can put that aside, London Tide is certainly not unimpressive. It’s still a thrilling enough story; writer Ben Power has perfectly balanced the satirical, dark, violent and romantic – and there’s not a weak link among the 21-strong cast.

Most of all, London Tide is a visual and aural feast. The lighting bars rise and fall, mimicking the flow and currents of the River Thames as the lighting itself sets the audience upon the dark waters one moment and then beneath the surface the next. There’s glorious creative vision at work from a clearly passionate and talented production team.

PJ Harvey’s chilling songs punctuate scenes and boil with the atmosphere of 1800s London. This is no Oliver! with cheery cheesy songs but an altogether more poignant and beautiful affair, the only complaint being that these songs sometimes feel plonked in as extras between scenes when they could be so much more if woven into the story itself.

While London Tide is not without flaws, there is at the same time something rather special about it. As a piece of theatre, it shows ambition at every turn that pays off greatly.

Jim Compton-Hall
Images: Marc Brenner

London Tide is at the National Theatre from 10^th April until 22^nd June 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.