Review: The Visit

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of The Visit.
In the town of Slurry, New York, post-war recession has bitten. Claire Zachanassian, improbably beautiful and impenetrably terrifying, returns to her hometown as the world’s richest woman. The locals hope her arrival signals a change in their fortunes, but they soon realise that prosperity will only come at a terrible price.

The Visit, originally written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and adapted by Tony Kushner, follows an intriguing story and explores a variety of interesting themes. In particular, the central character of Claire Zachanassian is fascinating, and there is a lot to be learnt from her. Zachnassian could in theory be used as a case study, demonstrating the many ways in which life-long resentment and holding grudges against those that have scorned us in the past can negatively influence our lives. The character becomes consumed with wrongs that were committed against her several decades ago, and will not rest until she has received "justice". Zachnassian's obsession with vengeance is fascinating, and makes for an absorbing narrative. The themes explored within the play are equally as compelling, with matters relating to social science and philosophy explored in detail. The Visit shows us the ways in which a love of money can be the root of society's evil; it demonstrates that money can really alter one's perspective on life and turn people against one another with great force. The show also demonstrates how billionaires are so easily able to buy influence and power over our society. With recent allegations that certain individuals have been trying to buy the American Presidency, this message is particularly striking. In relation to philosophy, the show also delves into Jeremy Bentham's Act Utilitarianism. This ethical theory ultimately encourages people to seek the greatest amount of pleasure for the greater number of people. Utilitarianism favours the majority of people, so The Visit explores what happens when the pleasure of the majority must come at the expense of a minority. Such themes were well-explored, and definitely provided food for thought. The only slight downside to The Visit is its long running time, which stands at 3 hours and 30 minutes. Whilst the time did go by relatively quickly, there are a number of scenes which do feel somewhat prolonged. It would therefore likely benefit the piece if it were trimmed by 10-15 minutes. Nevertheless, it was still engaging throughout, which is an impressive feat when taking into account its long running time.

In the leading role of Claire Zachanassian was Lesley Manville, and she was utterly outstanding; her performance was complete and utter perfection. She was very believable, and really threw herself into the role. Manville had an excellent characterisation, perfectly balancing Claire's vindictive nature with her inner-sadness and pain. Hugo Weaving, as Alfred Ill, was also very good and proved well-suited to the role. He was very convincing, and his descent into near-madness was portrayed exquisitely.

The scenic design, by Vicki Mortimer, was grand and proved rather impressive. At the beginning of The Visit, the set is unglamorous, showing the extent to which the town is run-down. As the play progresses however and Claire Zachanassian begins to provide funding for the town, the set becomes much more extravagant. This was a clever yet subtle way of showing the way that money had begun to impact the town, and was extremely effective. Therefore, the set was masterfully designed.

Now for my final verdict on The Visit. I give The Visit...

Despite its long running time, The Visit is a very interesting piece of writing, bolstered by two fantastic leading performances. 

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Basic Theatre Reviewer