All About Eve at the Noel Coward Theatre

All About Eve at the Noel Coward Theatre

When I was five and growing up in Northern California, my 13-year-old sister was obsessed with Applause, the 1970s musical version of the iconic film All About Eve.

The stereo system in our two-story tract home sat centre stage in our family room. It took up an entire wall: sleek cherry wood veneer with two large state-of-the-art speakers anchored at each end. My father was an engineer and loved music and thus no expense spared. It was filled with record albums from artists like Elton John, the Beatles and John Denver.

When my sister played Applause I was always drawn out of my room. The music would vibrate from the record player and she would play it over and over. We memorised lines and had fun telling our parents: Fasten your set belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!

I was little but I understood the plot: a successful ageing actress is threatened to be usurped by a younger, hungrier version. We watched the 1950s film with Bette Davis as Margo Channing (ageing Broadway star), Anne Baxter as Eve (ambitious young fan obsessed with Margo), and Celeste Holm as Margo’s fickle best friend Karen. Marilyn Monroe even made an appearance! 

Lily James and Gillian Anderson

When I heard that the Belgian avant-garde theatre director Ivo van Hove was adapting the original Hollywood film AND that Gillian Anderson would play Margo Channing and Lily James was cast as Eve, I purchased tickets for opening night!

My teenage daughters were elated! They are slightly obsessed with Lily James. They went through a period last summer where they would constantly listen to Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again through ear buds on their iPhones. I would occasionally hear one of them belt out  “Dancing Queen, only seventeen” when they thought I wasn’t around.  I knew Gillian Anderson from X-Files, but had to remind my millennials that she was the one in the funny British Airways safety video that explains which position to adopt in case of an emergency landing. That we even remember that is a credit to British Airways and their entertaining approach to safety videos!

All About Eve: Opening Night

Being part of the All About Eve’s first audience was an experience. We were warned by the producer that it was the first time they had run through it continuously through to the end. There was one point where Gillian Anderson and a male co-star spoke at the same time and Lily James walked in and quietly left – but to me that is part of the excitement and being part of opening night and made it even more loveable.

The play is a very good adaptation of the film. It’s nearly word for word so purists will be elated. There are a few minor changes: The narrator is Margo’s friend Karen, and film critic Addison has a smaller role. In the film Margo was anxious about nearing her 40th birthday. The Margo of the West End is turning 50 – so we can gleefully say that 50 is the new 40!  Note this is not a musical (though Gillian sings a drunken ballad and Lily James has a solo about applause at the end).

Innovative Staging

What was stunning was Ivo van Hove’s artful adaptation. He brings the black and white 2-dimensional 1950s film into our multimedia obsessed age in a very clever way. Parts of the performance interact with a large live screen which show close-ups and expressions of the actors in key scenes which take place on a side stage: Eye rolls while brushing hair in a mirror, guests mingling at a cocktail party, a towel-clad Lily James close-up in a bathroom. At one point the videographer makes an appearance continuing to film the actors as they walk to the main stage – so you see the traditional view of actors on stage, but also the close-ups on the big screen behind. I thought it was a clever reminder of the age we live in now that everything can be blown up and scrutinised.

The problem is that if you are sitting in the balcony, where I was, you only see half the screen at best. Staff had noticed this earlier and placed a small TV monitor to the left side in the balcony so you can get the gist of what you are missing. It’s a bit distracting but what do you expect for the cheap seats?

Of course today we should put the 1950s plot into perspective and examine it through a modern lens. Should we still teach girls there is always another one ready to take her down? Or is that just the hard reality of celebrity, and in today’s world, you could include influencers in that realm. 

I highly recommend going to see All About Eve. Be careful with the balcony tickets as some views are obstructed. Lilly James is a perfect Eve and my daughters are still on Cloud Nine that they saw her in person. Gillian Anderson was an excellent, commanding Margo. Ivo van Hove has successfully brought this 1950s classic into the bumpy 21st century.  It was a night out that we will remember for a long time!

IF YOU GO

All About Eve Noël Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4AU https://allabouteveplay.com Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes. No interval.

Related reading: How to get tickets for Hamilton the Musical LDN.