The Years, a presumed autobiographical novel by Annie Ernaux traces a woman’s life from girlhood in rural Normandy in the 1940’s through to the early 2000’s. The work was originally produced in 2022 in The Netherlands, and here again is capably directed and adapted by Eline Arbo. The play employs the vast talents of five accomplished actresses who weave the cultural, social and political events of seven decades through the woman’s journey. In all, quite an ambitious undertaking.
The production showcases the poetry of Ernaux’ heart-felt writing and her insights into the complexities of the changing times. When the play dramatizes the action, it becomes a disarming and effective theatrical experience. But when it switches back and forth between storytelling and third-person narration, it can feel awkward and the momentum sometimes stalls.
The cast ably portray multiple characters, and each actress gets her moment to shine. The recreation of a photograph introduces the different phases of the woman’s life as she ages through the decades. With such a superb ensemble effort it would be folly to try to single out any one performance; but if there was an award for the best interaction with an inanimate object, it would hands-down go to Gina McKee’s for her brilliant scene with a kitchen chair.
While we watch the galloping pace of sexual liberation for women-kind over the timespan, we also witness the unexpected complexities and challenges that accompanied these developments. The play pulls no punches in its depiction of masturbation, date rape, and abortion. And although sometimes hilarious and other times harrowing to witness, they are among the evening’s most hard-hitting and effective moments.
The actors sing and play various instruments in changing musical genres to help locate us within the advancing epochs. The clever set includes a series of small carts, stuffed with props, that run on a track encircling the stage. There are also eight tablecloths that become stained within substances within each vignette, and they are cleverly repurposed in the evening’s final tableaux to reflect the woman’s journey.
I wondered if an 80-year-old woman watching the play would have a more visceral connection to the vast changes that have taken place for women in consort with the world’s many revolutions. No matter, the play successfully captures the essence of the changing times including the language, conventions and focus of society – through wars, digital technology, women’s liberation, and neo-liberalism — all as a backdrop to one woman’s remarkable story.
Until Saturday 31 August
Based on Les Années by Annie Ernaux
Directed and adapted by Eline Arbo
English Adaptation by Stephanie Bain
Music Supervisor and Sound Designer: Thijs van Vuure
Cast: Deborah Findlay, Ramola Garai, Gina McKee, Anji Mehindra, Harmony Rose-Bremner
Running time: 2 hours without interval
Production images: By Ali Wright