Review - The Visit

Unimpressed by this adaptation of the play by Friedrich Durrenmatt. First thing - 3 hours long, by the interval I was yawning. Some unnecessary parts definitely could have been cut, to make it shorter and sharper, there were no "wow" moments, it was very samey. A couple of the main characters were quite engaging and acted well, but the acting and energy overall was poor. The male lead wasn't engaging and had little energy. The female lead acted "well" but it was slightly overdone, almost to the point of trying to upstage. The minor characters, townspeople, acted poorly. The story was interesting, and could have been interpreted much better. Some poor choices were also made: applying some uncalled for comic relief in the death scene ruined any tension. It could have been an exciting moment, but, like most of the play, was boring.
A couple of things I did like were the sets and the cartoonish quality some elements had. The sets were very simple and clean cut, the stage was large and the props were small, giving an attractive effect. The more outrageous costumes were impressive, such as the dress worn by the female lead and the leggings and stripy socks worn by two of the little men (who were played by women). The use of leggings gave them a cartoon-like look, as their bodies were round and their legs skinny. The costumes and set overall were attractive.