The Third Man musical, running in London through September 9, is drawing mixed notices from critics.
The production features music by George Fenton, a book by Christopher Hampton, and lyrics by Don Black. Based on the Graham Greene written and Carol Reed directed film, the musical is set in post-war Vienna as Holly Martins arrives at the invitation of his friend, Harry Lime, only to discover that Harry has been killed in a car accident – or was he?
The musical earned a three-star review from The Guardian. Critic Arifa Akbar wrote, “It takes courage to adapt a classic film noir for the stage, especially one with a screenplay by Graham Greene, exquisite black and white cinematography and Orson Welles’ radiant charisma. Some might call it hubristic, even foolish, to add music to the mix. The surprise is that this musical version of the 1949 film, directed by Trevor Nunn, does not fall on its face. While the songs pass muster, its triumph is in its monochrome design, which seems like a black and white film come to life.”
iNews praised the musical score, though it would have preferred fewer numbers: “The Third Man’s songs move elegantly across genres… Lovely as the songs are, there are a couple too many of them, occasionally dissipating the mounting tension of the story.”
In its three-star review, The Times wrote, “Christopher Hampton, Trevor Nunn and (company) don’t provide a totally convincing answer to the obvious question: why bother trying to make a musical out of one of the most atmospheric films of all time? But give them some credit for creating a brooding, ambitious near-miss.”
However, Time Out was not nearly as kind. It called the stage production a “dreadful, pointless musical desecration of the film noir masterpiece.”
“There is nothing to justify its existence on stage. Pointless and boring, the best thing about The Third Man is the fact that it won’t make the slightest bit of difference to the legacy of the film,” critic Tim Bano wrote. “And in case anyone thinks it’s harsh to judge the musical by the standards of the film, well it’s kinder than judging the show on its own terms. You expect so much more from the creative team who have around 220 years of professional experience between them. May it sink into the Viennese sewers, with the body of Harry Lime, where they both belong.”
The Telegraph called the effort “a crime against a masterpiece of cinema.”
Likewise, Variety‘s David Benedict asked, “What possessed a creative team as distinguished as director Trevor Nunn and bookwriter Christopher Hampton to imagine that what Carol Reed’s still-astonishing classic film needed was to be taken offscreen and planted onstage with added songs. The dismaying production provides no answer.”
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