Amy Lennox and Rachel Tucker in Thelma & Louise [Helen Murray]

THELMA & LOUISE
Young Vic
4 stars

WHEN Louise (Rachel Tucker) invites her best friend Thelma (Amy Lennox) for a spontaneous weekend away in her Thunderbird convertible, they have no idea what they’re letting themselves in for.
Callie Khouri reimagines her iconic road movie for the stage with music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated Neko Case.

Women’s friendship and solidarity are at the heart of Trip Cullman’s slick production, as in the film. Their fatal first encounter with a lecherous stranger, Harlan (Tamlyn Henderson), at a roadside honkytonk sends them on the run.

The calibre of cast and crew is obvious from the opening number, and Tucker and Lennox’s chemistry is pitch-perfect throughout. Thelma has a stronger emotional arc but both deliver assured performances.

The story has lost none of its bite. There are some zinging numbers from Case, the score blending blues, country and pop, superbly sung by the cast. Yet at times the show feels overloaded with music, at the expense of narrative and deeper characterisation. Thelma’s tryst with JD (Jordan Luke Gage), the duplicitous drifter, and Louise’s reunion with her boyfriend Jimmy (Alex Gibson-Giorgio) could have been given more room to breathe.

A snooker table doubles as both stage and bed, one of several clever touches in Cullman’s staging. Natasha Chivers’ inventive lighting and Gareth Owen’s sound help create the sense of being on the road.

The line dancing (courtesy of Bobbi Jene Smith & Or Schraiber) enlivens the bar-room scenes but occasionally detracts from the main action.

Nevertheless, we root for the pair from the start, and this remains a thrilling celebration of female defiance.

Until October 24
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