The Book Thief always has – and probably always will be – my all-time favourite book, joint with The Great Gatsby and The Kite Runner. I read it first when I was 15 or 16 and was entranced and obsessed. Markus Zusak’s storytelling amazed me and ever since I’ve always been inspired by his writing in my own. The Book Thief is a book unlike any other. It makes me laugh and cry. It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking, emotional story of hate, love, kindness, books and the power of words. I’ve talked about how much I love it on this very blog and everyone who knows me knows how much I adore it.
So naturally, when the world premiere of the musical was announced, I was overjoyed and knew I had to do everything in my power to try and see it – this was not a show I wanted to miss. Initially, I didn’t think it would be possible; Bolton is too far away, I’m too busy with work, it’s too expensive. Yet with help from a friend, I made the 4-hour trip to the Octagon theatre to see the show, and it was worth every penny, every second and every day I’d waited. The Book Thief Musical was a more mesmerising and breathtaking experience than I could ever have hoped and wished for and imagined in all my wildest dreams. The show was nothing short of incredible. Here is what I thought, and why I think it both needs and deserves an extension and/or a west-end transfer.
Show: The Book Thief – A New Musical
Venue: The Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Running until: 15th October 2022
Star Rating: ★★★★★
Currently running at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, The Book Thief Musical by Markus Zusak is wowing audiences every night until the 15th October 2022, The Book Thief is a tricky book to adapt given the sensitivity of the themes within and the personification of death narrating the whole show, but with Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald aiding the adaptation from page to stage, the content was always in safe hands. This adaptation combined with Lotte Wakeman’s direction has ensured the show has taken to the stage in such a beautiful, impactful and heartbreaking way and it has been handled with such sensitivity that it’s impossible not to fall in love with this incredible new world premiere musical.
The music and lyrics, courtesy of Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson are beautiful and haunting – very much like the show itself. The plot does not stop for the musical numbers but rather the musical numbers elevate the show and are part of the plot and aid in moving the show along. The musical numbers have been cleverly interwoven into the show and the combination of the beautiful music, lyrics, strong vocals and harmonies from the cast make the show as a whole that much more emotional. The musical numbers are beautifully sung, but the arrangements, orchestrations and band deserve as much praise as those singing. Matthew Malone is responsible for the beautiful arrangements and orchestrations, whilst the band is comprised of Matthew Malone alone, Meg Davies, Isis Dunthorne and Heather MacLeod, who all use their musical skills to fill out the musical numbers. The beautiful sounds of the band and voices together are a wonderful experience, be that whether it is a musical number, or music alone to support the plot. The songs throughout the show have such a range from powerful whole cast numbers such as ‘Have a Heart’ to cheeky and more fun songs such as ‘How ‘Bout a Kiss‘ and ‘Look at Jesse Owens‘ to gentler and more poignant numbers such as ‘Hello Stars’; the musical numbers are not only beautiful and emotional, but truly memorable – much like a reflection of the whole show.
The cast are all simply fantastic. Ryan O’Donnell leads the show as the narrator, or his more well-known name: Death. Whilst Death narrating a story may sound morbid, be that on page or stage, it is the perfect personification for a story such as this. O’Donnell has a stage presence that commands attention; overseeing the whole show and rarely leaving the stage is a very clever metaphor for how Death is always present, yet we never know when it will come for us – again, a common theme throughout the show. Furthermore, O’Donnell’s portrayal of Death brings an emotional level to that role that breaks the stereotype that Death is not some heartless grim reaper type fellow, but rather someone who tries to do their job with as much dignity, compassion and kindness as possible. O’Donnell has found a perfect balance between narrating the story, guiding both the audience and characters along in a matter-of-fact way, but also injecting personality to his character, adding some charm and cheekiness, making the role that much more loveable and stealing audiences’ hearts. By the end of the show, Death is a character as much loved as Liesel herself. O’Donnell’s role is not an easy one but one he has taken and owned remarkably.
Jack Lord and Danielle Henry take on the roles of Hans and Rosa Hubermann; Lord brings the warmth and cheekiness to Hans that instantly makes everyone love him; Henry has. the harder job – finding. the balance between playing Rosa as the no-nonsense cold mama at surface level…but beneath her cold exterior, you can tell she actually is as scared as everyone else and has so much love and care and compassion for her family (and any other visitors who may come along that need help – no spoilers though!). Yes, Henry has a hard job being able to portray both these sides of Rosa in one show, but she does it perfectly with the tenderness put through in her performance. There is never any doubt in your mind that however Rosa may come across, her heart is in the right place – something only emphasised through Henry’s beautiful rendition of the song ‘Dreadful‘.
Daniel Krikler steps into the shoes of the daunting role of Max Vandenberg; again – not an easy role to take on (not that any of the roles in this heavy show are easy), but one he does beautifully. Krikler has a natural charm that he brings to the role of Max; despite all Max has gone through and proceeds to go through, he still has a kind heart and hope. Krikler is a wonder to watch as Max, at how he can demonstrate such a complex character in a way that feels so authentic and natural. It cannot be easy to find a way to play someone with such a harrowing story and character arc, yet Krikler has found a way to play Max that feels like Max has stepped straight off the pages in the book into the stage right in front of you. His performance is heartbreaking, hopeful, emotional and remarkable.
Leading the show along with Death is our heroine of the show: Liesel Meminger. The role of Liesel is split between Bea Glancy and Niamh Parker; on the night I attended, I got to see Bea Glancy; it is amazing to see such young performers put so much heart and emotion into a role. Liesel rarely leaves the stage and goes on an incredible journey throughout this show, and it would be a feat for anyone of any age – let alone someone so young. And yet, Glancy seemed to take Liesel in her stride. She is able to put so many layers into her performance; the heartbreak of losing her mother and brother and finding a new home and family. The balance between being a young girl learning about the world she is living in, the complications of the current political state and what that means for her, her family, and the people she meets along the way. And of course a big theme in the show: the power of books, imagination – words. And drawing all this together, the toll this can take on someone so young; Glancy does not tell the audience the mixture of emotions this would do to a person, but shows them. The anger, the hope, the heartbreak, the love she still has. It is all demonstrated perfectly and it feels like Glancy is not playing Liesel, she is Liesel. For someone of any age, but especially given how much younger she is compared to her colleagues with more experience, that is a huge achievement.
Whilst these performers take on lead roles in the show, The Book Thief is very much an ensemble piece. The remainder of the cast is made up of two young boys playing Rudy Steiner – Alfie Corbett and Charlie Murphy, as well as an ensemble of Victoria Brazier, Duane Gooden, Matthew Heywood, Purvi Parmar, Katy Clayton, Andre Whitehead, Benjamin Mundy and Ida Regan. The ensemble are vital to any show, and The Book Thief is no exception. The cast as a whole are incredibly talented and the ensemble deserve as much well-earned praise as everyone else for their hard work bringing this beautiful story to life, aiding the lead characters’ journeys, taking on multiple roles and masterfully conducting themselves so it is easy to differentiate from one role to the next, to say the least.
The creativity and the detail that has gone into this show are second to none. The choreography from Tom Jackson Greaves is fluid, graceful and unique – I would even use the word mesmerising. The whole space is used effectively, so no matter where someone is sitting, they’re never having a lesser experience. The cast – be that via direction or of their own accord – are excellent at playing out to the whole auditorium, reaching every person watching the show unfold. The books on shelves up the sides of the stage are a small added detail but a sweet one; to me, they acted as a reminder of how important books are not only to Liesel but to the story as a whole; a consistent reminder of this throughout the whole performance. A big theme in this book and show is books, stories, words, and the power these all have. The way this theme is personified and visually brought to life (particularly in the song ‘The Wordshaker‘, and with notice to the puppetry from Samuel Wilde) is an example of theatre being creative at its finest. It is this creativity, this unique approach to the show that makes The Book Thief stand out and makes it engaging, visually stunning and captivating. Without giving anything away, Nic Farman’s lighting in the very last few moments of the show in the finale was breathtaking (all too literally in my case). The Book Thief may be about words, and the words are a large part of the show, but the music, staging, costumes, lighting – all the details on and off stage – make it a feast for both the eyes and ears and an unforgettable piece of theatre.
The Book Thief is what theatre is all about: using creativity to tell stories, open people’s eyes, minds and hearts, to help people experience things outside of their lives, to immerse and transport people. It’s about making people feel something (believe me, watching this show, I felt a lot – I don’t think I stopped crying for the whole show!). All of this above, The Book Thief more than does. The emotion and the energy are maintained and palpable from start to finish. It is another thing the whole company should be nothing but praised for. It is no easy feat to be able to keep the energy alive for such a heavy show for the entire night, keeping the audience so captivated, yet they all seem to more than take it in their stride and do a wonderful job the whole way through.
It is also worth mentioning, whilst this musical is a book-to-stage adaptation, it has been adapted so no prior knowledge of the book is needed to enjoy the show. For those who have read the book, there are plenty of direct quotes and references – as you would expect given it is an adaptation (I was in my element hearing all the direct quotes) – but if you’ve not read the book, you will not in any way miss out.
The Book Thief Musical may be a show set in 1939 Nazi Germany, but the show is about so much more than that. It is a journey, and not an easy one, but one that is beautiful and remarkable nonetheless. The Book Thief is a show of heartbreak and hope, of family and friendship, of kindness and compassion. It is a show about fear, resilience, of history that we must keep learning from lest we ever get anywhere near that point ever again. It is a show about books, stories, imagination, and words. It is a show about how words are the most powerful weapon in the world. It is a show about love. and hate. It is a show about choosing love over hate.
It’s ironic, a show about words and yet it feels like however much I say, words cannot ever even come close to doing this incredible show justice. I’ve written so much yet it still doesn’t feel like enough to explain how wonderful this show is, how much it has completely taken my heart and utterly blown me away. There’s so much more I could say but the sum of. it is, this is a show that must be seen to be believed to understand how phenomenal it is.
When I set foot through the doors of the Octagon theatre, I was excited beyond words to see the stage adaptation of my all-time favourite book, but I was also very apprehensive because I had such high expectations and did not want to be let down or disappointed. I had no need to be apprehensive. From the second those lights went down to the last note in the finale, I was gazing open-mouthed, with my eyes wide in awe the entire time at the real theatre magic I was witnessing. I couldn’t and still can’t believe I have been so lucky to see such a show as The Book Thief. It is unlike anything I have ever seen before and it was truly an unforgettable show and a night I will never forget.
One thing. is for sure, The Book Thief is a show that has captured my heart and attention. One visit is not enough for me and I truly hope there is a future for this show after this run. If this show does not have another run somewhere, be that a longer run or a London extension, then it will be a great miss, to say the least. It is what The Book Thief both needs and deserves. Everyone who made this show happen should be beyond proud of themselves for this incredible piece of theatre they’ve created and are part of. I say and mean this from the bottom of my heart and with every fibre of my being: thank you. You’ve taken my favourite book and turned it into something more special than I could have ever dreamt of in my wildest dreams. Thank you.
The Book Thief Musical is not a show to miss if you can help it and it is definitely one to keep on your radar. I for one will be waiting with bated breath for news on a cast recording, another run, an extension, any and all news. It is running until the 15th October and you can buy tickets for the show here.
Very much like the quote from the book itself: I hope. I have done the show justice in how I’ve written about it. “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right”.
I wouldn’t normally use personal photos of myself when writing a piece on a show, but for this one, I made an exception and couldn’t help but include these.
*All other photos I own no rights to and all credit goes to original owners*.
One Show at a Time 
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