The television film is a fairly simple adaptation of Susan Hill's novel, as I recall. The stage play (adapted from the book by Stephen Malatrat, I think) requires more imaginative adaptation.
It's achieved by ditching almost any attempt to stage it realistically. The 'set' is a theatre stage with a few bits of scenery, baskets and props scattered around as if left over from some other production.
The conceit of the play is that 'Kipps' is hiring 'The Actor' to give a reading of his tale (ie the novel) many years after the event. The young actor is far too arty for that and insists on turning it into a performance in which he plays the young Kipps and Kipps himself plays everyone else. The stuff on stage at various times becomes gravestones, desks, carts, beds etc, and much is made of "the modern innovation of 'recorded electric sound'!". It works very well and was suitably raved about in my 'A' level Theatre studies exam (which says something about how long ago I saw it!).
Of the three versions I now know (book, play, film), the play is far and away my favourite. Even if you know another version, however, the play still has some genuine frights in store.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-03-05 08:59 pm (UTC)It's achieved by ditching almost any attempt to stage it realistically. The 'set' is a theatre stage with a few bits of scenery, baskets and props scattered around as if left over from some other production.
The conceit of the play is that 'Kipps' is hiring 'The Actor' to give a reading of his tale (ie the novel) many years after the event. The young actor is far too arty for that and insists on turning it into a performance in which he plays the young Kipps and Kipps himself plays everyone else. The stuff on stage at various times becomes gravestones, desks, carts, beds etc, and much is made of "the modern innovation of 'recorded electric sound'!". It works very well and was suitably raved about in my 'A' level Theatre studies exam (which says something about how long ago I saw it!).
Of the three versions I now know (book, play, film), the play is far and away my favourite. Even if you know another version, however, the play still has some genuine frights in store.