The Time Traveller's Wife at the Apollo

I wish I could travel back in time to watch it all over again! This show is truly beautiful, heartwarming and a must-see for all theatre lovers. With brilliant use of lighting, stage tricks and body doubles this show is truly unexplainable and is one that really must be seen with your own eyes.

The show is amazing from start to finish and all the moments in between thanks to the entire cast and crew and I genuinely cannot recommend it enough.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

My Review:

This show possesses a brilliant cast featuring David Hunter as Henry, Joanna Woodward as Clare, Tim Mahendran as Gomez, Hiba Elchike as Charisse, Ross Dawes as Henry's Dad, Sorelle Marsh as Henry's Mum, Alwyne Taylor as The Librarian, Irfan Damani as Clare's Dad, Alexandra Door as Clare's Mum, Alex Lodge as Jason/Mark, Helena Pipe as Dr Kendrick, Billie Hardy, Daniel George-Wright, Serina Matthew, Nathaniel Purnell, and Bobby Windeback. The role of Young Clare/Alba is shared by Ava Critcell, Lily Hanna, Poppy Pawson, and Holly-Jade Roberts, I was fortunate to see Holly-Jade Roberts shine in this role.

David Hunter truly excels as Henry in both his voice and his talent as an actor, it was a joy to listen to him and I have since had the soundtrack on repeat to relieve the incredible voices of him and the rest of the cast. Without giving too much away the time travel scenes that are essential and an iconic part of this show are honestly unexplainable and even now there are some moments that I genuinely cannot figure out how Henry was able to vanish seemingly into thin air and these moments are thanks to Chris Fisher who is the show's illusionist. Holly Jade-Roberts has a phenomenal voice that was maintained the whole show and perfectly blended with the voice of Adult Clare in songs such as One Day. Clare, as an adult, is portrayed by Joanna Woodward and her singing Masterpiece as her first solo song is extremely fitting as her voice and characterisation of Clare is a masterpiece and a privilege to watch. Furthermore, the adaptability of Joanna to match the varied personalities of the ages of Clare that she portrays is a true testament to her talent and she really felt like the perfect Clare. This show features many moments that definitely pull on the heartstrings and whilst it does not feel like it at the time but the moments between Henry's Dad and Henry such as during I See Her are actually a gentle introduction to this emotional side of the show and definitely do not prepare you enough for the level of emotion in Act 2. On a happier note, the portrayal of Gomez by Tim Mahendran provides joy and certainly some comedic moments, especially from younger Gomez that I as an audience member was loved to watch as they showed a different side to Gomez. Tim's voice is incredible and the songs in the show act as a flawless showcase of his talent. I could listen to Damn Fool Love and A Women's Intuition on loop. Tim is accompanied brilliantly during A Woman's Intuition by Hiba Elchike and she makes this song even more addictive as she complements Tim's singing and showcases her talent and range. The show utilises projections throughout that are very helpful as they remind you of where you are in the story and I certainly feel that the show could be confusing without these. Also, the projected ages throughout the show that accompany scene changes act as a nod to the book and how it used the ages to separate different moments in time during the story.

Act 2 is truly gut-wrenching which is why it has to be said that I See Her is merely a warm-up for Act 2. Without giving too much away I can say with a fair amount of certainty that you will be in tears during the New Year's Eve scene as this scene plays with your emotions so much and is genuinely heartbreaking. In true Time Traveller's Wife fashion, I have mentioned close to the end of the show at the start of discussing Act 2 so let's venture back to the start of Act 2. The first song is Journeyman which starts as Henry explains to Young Clare what time travel feels like and slowly merges into an incredible moment on the show that I would watch constantly if I was able. The show uses projections throughout but this song perfectly utilises projections alongside lighting and physical theatre to create an out-of-this-world moment that conveys to the audience what Henry feels during time travel and is just a truly beautiful moment in the show perfectly matched by David's incredible vocals. It must also be mentioned that Young Clare also plays Alba later on in Act 2, who is Clare and Henry's daughter, having the same actress play both characters for me felt very full circle and was weirdly fitting for this show. I'm in Control is another powerhouse song performed magnificently by Joanna and captures the feelings of Clare at this point in the show giving the audience an insight into her emotions at this point which allows the audience to relate to and sympathise with her. Make it New is sung by Henry, Clare and Alba and is actually the only song between only these three characters in the show and is a perfect moment that shows the joy of this family but is bittersweet as by this point the audience is starting to get an idea of what may happen soon. The final song between just Clare and Henry is On and On and I cry to this even when I'm just listening to the soundtrack which should provide some insight into how much of a tear-jerker this show is and specifically this song as it confirms the audiences suspicions about what it going to happen. With the knowledge of what is going to happen, this song is captivating and emotional but somehow provides a semblance of comfort at this turbulent moment. The show ends with Love Wins the Day which is truly the motto for this show and I cannot think of a better way for a show such as this to end especially with the last line being sung by Alba which becomes very fitting once you know the ending of the show.

Content Warnings:

I did not see any content warnings around the theatre and I must admit that for this review this section will be short as I did not find many things that could be possibly triggering during this show. However, the possible content that I did pick up on during the was as follows:

Loud Bangs
Sudden Blackouts
Mention of miscarriages - Clare and Henry experience trouble conceiving at one point during the show and at this moment in the doctor's office Clare's miscarriages are mentioned
Mention of assault - Clare is attacked by Jason and she later tells Henry about what happened
Strobe Lighting
Gunshots

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer