I’ve never read any Paul Auster books, so I came to this stage adaptation by Duncan Macmillan cold, though it’s the third time in six days I’ve seen the work of projection masters 59 Productions, this time expanded to almost all creative inputs. As much as I admired the extraordinary stagecraft, I’m afraid I didn’t engage with the story, perhaps because I was spellbound by the staging and thereby distracted from the story. I found myself admiring the artistry without any involvement in the tale.
It’s a Chandleresque film noir tale, somewhat convoluted, involving a manic chase across New York City by reclusive novelist Daniel Quinn provoked by a call to the wrong number. He takes on the persona of Auster as private detective, but we seem to enter all sorts of alternative realities. To be honest, I got a bit lost. I was however gawping in wonder as the stage turned from one home to another to street to station and so on, through some of the slickest projections I’ve ever seen.
The main problem is that the staging swamps the story, and there’s no emotional engagement at all. You find yourself staring in wonder at the spectacle, but uninvolved in the events that unfold. I admired the performances, Leo Warner’s direction, Jenny Melville design and Lysander Ashton’s projections, but I didn’t engage with it.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
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