Artistic Director Robert Hastie may have run his race with Sheffield Theatres, but the man who helped to bring productions such as Standing at the Sky’s Edge and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie to life has bowed out in exhilarating fashion with Chariots of Fire.
Reviving Mike Bartlett’s 2012 stage adaptation of the 1981 Oscar-winning film, this tale of perseverance, identity and values continues to delight audiences as we reach the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Paris Olympics, where the original events took place.
While there are stellar performances delivered across the cast, particularly the portrayal of the main characters, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, played by Michael Wallace and Adam Bregman respectively, it’s the innovative set design, lighting and choreography that frequently takes centre stage. Treadmills are pounded while strobes flash during race scenes, super slo-mo scenes are accompanied by actors shouting out those all-important seconds and on more than one occasion, they vacate the stage, running along the rows where the audience is seated, sometimes exiting the auditorium entirely and re-entering from an opposite entrance. I’d wager that there aren’t many theatre productions this year requiring such an impressive VO2 max from their ensemble.
For those unfamiliar with the storyline, it revolves around two talented runners: one, a devout Christian running to spread the word of God, and the other, a Jewish immigrant at Cambridge with a point to prove amidst daily life shackled by the archaic structures and prejudices of one of the world’s oldest universities. The two become rivals, particularly in the eyes of the determined Abrahams, played in feisty fashion by Bregman, who initially resents the assured, composed nature of Liddell. He is, after all, someone who knows exactly what he is running for, a question that is repeatedly levelled at Abrahams, and one he is unable to answer.
“Treadmills are pounded while strobes flash during race scenes.” Photo: Johan Persson
Abrahams eventually hires a running coach, Sam Mussabini (Waleed Elgadi), to improve his technique so he can qualify for the Paris Olympics and finally beat Liddell. This is much to the ire of Cambridge College Masters, who continue to promote the upper-class values of ‘the gentleman’ in sport: sticking to amateur ideals, not placing emphasis on winning at all costs and never stooping to the level of “playing the tradesman”. However, he is so desperate to succeed that he roundly ignores their protests and jeopardises a blossoming relationship with love interest Sybil Evers (Bessy Ewa) in the process.
Liddell’s growing celebrity due to his athletic feats doesn’t come without difficulties, either. His sister (Lois Pearson) frequently voices concerns that a dedication to the track is overtaking his responsibilities to God, and his religious ethics are sorely tested when the all-important 100-metre race at the Olympics is scheduled for a Sunday. Incidentally, one of the play’s funniest scenes comes when several lords (a deserved mention to Richard Kant and Mark Lockyer, both of whom are excellent in multiple roles) and none other than the Prince of Wales himself (a great comedic turn from Leo Wan) attempt to convince the abstaining Scotsman to run.
L-R: Seb Slade, Leo Wan, Eddie Joe Robinson in Chariots of Fire. Photo: Johan Persson
In an interview with Exposed Magazine during the run-up to the show, Leo Wan and Lois Pearson spoke of the challenges in translating an action-packed film to the stage, with the former commenting that “the joy of theatre is the demand of invention … And when you get it right – and I have very high hopes that we will – it’s thrilling for a live audience to witness.” It is, and it certainly was for the sold-out crowd who stood together to applaud an at times breathtaking performance.
A powerful reminder of the human spirit’s resilience and the enduring allure of the Olympic dream, Sheffield Theatres’ Chariots of Fire not only pays homage to an inspiring true-life story but displays the transformative power of live theatre in bringing these narratives to life.
4/5
Chariots of Fire runs at the Crucible Theatre until 27th July. Tickets (£15-£43) and more information available here.
