Therese Raquin Review

First published in 1867, Emile Zola’s novel Thérèse Raquin has been adapted to stage and screen many times. Writer/director Gary Abrahams’ ambitious retelling captures the psychological turbulence and dense dramatics of the book but, at times, lurches too far into melodrama.

When Thérèse and her sickly husband and first cousin Camille arrive in Paris with the overbearing Madame Raquin senior in tow, their uneasy familial ‘arrangement’ begins to break down, particularly with the arrival of the dissolute Laurent, a torrid affair soon turning into murder.

Zola’s desire to write about temperaments rather than characters is well realised in this iteration, as all the characters remain both driven and blinded by their various predispositions, making for moments of both mirth and tragedy. However, it also sows the seeds for the play’s least convincing moments, the ‘trance’ broken several times.

That said, there are two standout performances: Marta Kaczmarek as the elder Madame Raquin and Rhys McConnochie as the well meaning but somewhat naïve former police commissioner.

With its 19th century garb and traditional theatrical style, Abrahams’ Thérèse Raquin is faithful to the spirit of Zola’s social realism – for all of its emotional hyperbole it remains a dispassionate observer. In fact it’s this rather neat conjuring trick that is the play’s real trump card.

Theatreworks to 30 Aug