Tobias and the Angel to 21st October

Tobias and the Angel - A modern community opera re-opening the Youthful Vic
Music by Jonathan Dove
Words by David Lan

Young Vic to 21th October
Monday to Saturday 7:30
Saturday matinee 3:00

Bookings 0207 928 6363

Dark humour, drama, death
Running time 80 mins

Review: Geoff Ambler, 14 October 2006
The Young Vic reopened its doors this week to a packed house. The assembled guests packed tightly into the spacious bar area to enjoy drinks and tiny little mushroom filled things and hear the story of how the Young Vic was made youthful again. The theatre is a fusion of preserved history and modern urbanism; a stark contrast to the traditional Old Vic, just yards away.

The community opera Tobias and the Angel is an unlikely yet magnificent blend of modern opera and a thoroughly entertaining, albeit short, evening. The story of Tobias, from the Book of Tobit, is presented with more humour than I expected and with a number of outstanding performances particularly from Darren Abrahams and James Laing as respectively Tobias and the Angel. I didn’t expect to be as amused and entertained as I was, when after the first few minutes a dour dirge announces repeatedly that “The King kills Jews” and a blood covered boy with his throat cut is rolled onto the stage in front of an assembled throng; I expected a long and turgid evening.

However, the performers take over and lead you along a biblical journey filled with dark humour, drama, death, several more deaths and an amazingly talented community choir. For me the story was an unknown one and it proved an interesting tale, yet it’s the unexpected humour that provides periodic highs. Never will the line “wed, bed, dead” be greeted again with such rapturous laughter.

As the show chosen to reopen this landmark theatre, renowned for new, leading edge, youthful theatre, Tobias and the Angel is more than worthy. The story is presented on a stage that splits the theatre across the centre, with a modern middle-eastern feel to the simple set. Wires are used to great effect to suspend our heroes, Tobias and the Angel as they swim through a remarkably effective river and battle with a carp. The wide stage periodically fills up completely with the assembled cast and community choir and their sound is at times fantastic. They span all ages and represent the all local boroughs this magnificent revised theatre serves. The Young Vic is back, it is definitely young again and we can only hope it keeps the standard it has defined over the years and still continues with this production.

Conductor David Charles Abell
Direction John Fulljames
Design Alexander Lowde
Lighting Bruno Poet
Choreography Ben Wright

Tobit: Omar Ebrahim
Anna, his wife: Hyacinth Nicholls
Tobias, his son: Darren Abrahams
The Stranger: James Laing

Raguel: Kevin West
Edna, his wife: Maureen Brathwaite
Sara, his daughter: Katrina Lucas
Ashmodeus, a demon: Rodney Clarke

2006-10-16 10:30:46