It seems odd that the Louis de Bernières novel that launched a thousand holidays to Cephalonia (guilty as charged here) should have taken 25 years to come to the stage in a major adaptation.
Yet here at last it is, a vivid and tumbling dramatic presence with strong musical elements, from inventive director Melly Still and adaptor Rona Munro.
The first half largely treads (Ionian) water, albeit with a pleasing eye for the appealing rhythms of Greek island life. The kindly, cultured Corelli (Alex Mugnaioni, who can actually play the mandolin), the accidental soldier, arrives as part of the Second World War Italian-German occupation of the island and is billeted with the thoughtful Dr Iannis (Joseph Long) and his loyal, free-spirited daughter Pelagia (striking work from newcomer Madison Clare). The family’s pet pine marten and goat are personified by two adult actors.
It’s after the interval that real riches and depths are to be found, as Still and Munro highlight the coarsening and toughening effects of life in wartime, balanced against an emotive love story. Two big sheets of metallic fabric shimmer above the stage, suggesting sea and island atmosphere.
A further wave of Cephalonia tourism surely beckons.
Until May 12
