Michael Rosen’s award-winning novel gets a transformative dance adaptation in this deceptively simple production.
201 Dance Company’s version of the story, which chronicles Rosen’s grief at the death of his son Eddie from meningitis at the age of 19, mixes dance with animation and a textual narration drawn from the book.
Louisa Smurthwaite’s production design is sparse – for the most part just a chair and a desk with a table lamp, photo, and candle – but the projection animation (from Really Creative Media) transforms the stage.
The seven dancers, led by Alan Coveney representing Rosen, interact with the scratchy illustrations that appear on the back wall and floor, as we learn in stark terms about the author’s grief: his pretence at being happy, his need both to share and own his grief, and a gradual thankfulness for the shared experiences he had with his son.
Andrea Walker’s choreography is gentle and affecting. There is subtle foreshadowing from the off and several inspired moments. There is levity as Coven mime moonwalks along a rainy street, with a passer-by giving chase to a windswept umbrella; raw pain as as he howls in the shower. Tamae Yoneda, as Rosen’s mother, gives an impressive solo.
The show gives space for Rosen’s emotive words to breathe, with well-chosen movement amplifying them and often reflecting the gap between interior and exterior expression. There is darkness, but there is hope.
- Sad Book concludes at Norwich Theatre Playhouse on Saturday 15 March 2025; this performance includes live narration by Michael Rosen and is followed by a Q&A session.
