Review: The Book Thief, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Well, what do you know, a brand-new work with a well-known American writing team, being turned down by big NYC producers, and thus premiering in YOUR hometown instead!

This is exactly what has happened in the case of The Book Thief, based on the much-loved novel by Markus Zusak. 

There's a couple of reasons why the theatre community, but it mainly has to do with the writing team: Kate Anderson & Elyssa Samsel (Central Park) writing the songs, and multi-award-winning author Jodi Picoult co-writing the book! 

Again - in my hometown!!

I'd like to apologise for being late to the party reviewing stuff from my local theatre but.... (Yeah.... ooops!)

If you've not read the book (or seen the film version), allow me to fill you in. 
Young Lisel has to move to a small town in Germany after losing both her parents and her brother. She then takes to stealing books while learning to read, and after her new family harbours a Jewish boxer in their basement, she comes to understand how powerful words can be; both for good and evil. 

No surprise with this writing team at the helm, but the written work in this, both spoken and sung, is stunning! 

In fact, there are moments of pure poetry. 

Take the very start for example: a mysterious Narrator (played by Ryan O'Donnell) walks through the audience, on to the stage dressed similarly to John Constantine: and he opens by telling us the background through colours. I mean WHAT! 

In terms of song writing, I am used to Anderson and Samsel's more comedic work on Central Park, so it struck me in a way how truly beautiful and moving their music can be. 

For example, Hello Stars is full of wonder, Dreadful is heart-breaking, and Make Germany Great Again is downright terrifying! 
The main theme of The Book Thief, like I said, is the power of words, and these numbers really do bring out strong emotions through how they're written. 

But it is for me The Wordshaker, when all of these ideas come together. Not just the writing, but also through the actors' performances, paper puppetry (you'll see what I mean if you get a chance to see it), that this strong beautiful image is created. And when it comes back again at the end - no spoilers, but all I will say is that I had never thought glitter confetti can be used to make your audience emotional...!

What the other beauty of The Book Thief is, is that it serves as a warning - history has a habit of repeating itself. 

I won't go into much on this, but perhaps it is not surprising given how many US states have now banned certain Picoult works? The show is a hard watch and makes you reflect - though surely, isn't being challenged in a theatre welcomed these days...?

And bringing this wonderful writing to life are a bunch of incredible actors, that are all new to me, but are on my radar - no less the very talented Niamh Palmer, who gave a wonderful performance as Liesel. 

If you can get to Bolton easily, then I cannot recommend getting to the Octagon before 15th October to see The Book Thief. To see a world premiere playing there is reason enough, but to see a new piece that is THIS provoking, THIS moving, and one that NEEDS to have a future life, is even more so. 

I hope this trial in Bolton, and audiences' reactions here are enough reason for another theatre to pick it up. It may need a little bit of polishing up, but what we got was raw and heartfelt.