Hollywood hearthrob Josh Harnett is set to star in a West End reworking of the 1989 movie classic Rain Man. Hartnett will play ‘Charlie’, the role taken in the original by Tom Cruise… the title doesn’t look quite so daft now does it.

Adapted by Dan Gordon, who last year converted Terms of Endearment for the stage, the plot mirrors that of the Oscar winning film. However, according to producer Nick Burns “This is not the film on stage, it’s a theatrical adaptation of what is a really great story.”… I see.

I suppose my only question is, quite simply: WHY?

Why do it? Why adapt a perfectly good film, that EVERYONE has seen, for the stage? Dustin Hoffman only won a flipping Oscar for his outstanding performance; how could you possibly top that? What insight could you bring to the plot after 19 years? If the producers wanted to explore the perception of Autism in today’s society than why don’t they do everyone the common courtesy of staging a new play. The prospect of sitting through a re-hashed yarn that is dragged up to date by clumsily chucking in the odd reference to the internet and mobile phones just makes want to cry salt tears of sheer boredom.

So what, theatre producers think it’s a safe option to stick a well known star into a well known story? It all sounds so crippling dull doesn’t it?

Or am I wrong? Is this just what the West End needs? Let me know what you think.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 am and is filed under Theatre. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.