LONDON: Waves (National Theatre) - 9/8/08

This adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel "The Waves" is a directorial wonder. Unlike the epic, by-the-books adaptation of "War Horse" playing next door on the vast Olivier stage, "Waves" is an intimate production that emphasizes video, sound design, and select passages from the novel to tell the story. The "production team" (i.e., cast) move about their "studio" (i.e., stage) with tremendous skill and grace. It's as much fun to observe the process as it is to marvel at the finished product. Fans of radical adaptations of literary works should not miss this.

Rating: **** (out of *****)