27 February – 2 March

HG Wells’ groundbreaking masterpiece, “The Time Machine”, penned in 1895, was his first full-length story which, along with “The Invisible Man” (1897) and “The War of the Worlds”, published a year later, formed the cornerstone of the late Victorian British science fiction movement. A dystopian vision of the future and a satire of Britain’s class system, it was the first major work of fiction to explore the theme of time travel, as far-fetched, implausible scientific possibilities began to take root in the imaginations and consciences of the masses. Fifty million copies and well over a century later, this much-loved and enduring novel has been given a comic, theatrical makeover by Original Theatre, with hilarious results.

Director Orla O’Loughlin’s intention was to loosely reimagine this popular tale through a contemporary comic prism, to produce something “both familiar and new….infused with a timeless and heartfelt spirit of joyous anarchy”. Along with writers Steven Canny and John Nicholson, both veterans of comic adaptations, they have combined to produce a wonderfully funny, energetic and original pastiche which instils that sense of ‘joyous anarchy’ whilst simultaneously never losing sight of Wells’ more poignant themes and deeper concerns about the self-destructive nature of humanity and, as the writers themselves suggest, the importance of friendship.

The show pivots around a ‘play-within-a-play’ idea: George Kemp plays theatrical director George Wells, the great-great grandson of HG Wells, who has come to believe that his ancestor’s fictional tale is actually fact, and persuades his two fellow cast members (Amy Revelle and Michael Dylan) to replace their planned performance of “The Importance of Being Earnest” with a revised version of “The Time Machine”. An unexpected and wonderfully ridiculous plot twist turns the show, as well as the play within it, on its head in the second half in true ‘Goes Wrong’ style, prompting some highly amusing audience involvement and plenty of existential anguish as time threatens to run out altogether. The significance of time, symbolised in the first act by a large and ever-present clock in the centre of an otherwise very minimalist stage set, serves to keep our attention very firmly fixed on the actors, and full well they deserve our attention too.

I cannot remember when I laughed so much, or so loudly, in a theatre. Over two hours, Kemp, Revelle and Dylan turn in a masterclass of acting, showcasing their energy, versatility and superb comic timing in a performance which will have you laughing out loud time and time again. All three actors embrace multiple roles and disciplines with consummate skill, comprising everything from Cher to Shakespeare, from the silly to the soliloquy, from breaking character and the fourth wall, to some witty improvisation and lots of in-jokes for this Cheltenham audience. It is slick, clever and very, very funny. And yet peeping through between all the humour is a rather poignant play about three friends, about hope, and about the possibilities, as well as inherent dangers, of technology, even if Wells’ socialist-leaning commentary on the inequalities of the class system is only lightly touched upon. As with so many cautionary tales whose popularity never seems to diminish, whether it is Orwell, Priestley or indeed HG Wells himself, perhaps we need their visionary warnings and prescient messages now more than ever when our own present, and future, seem fraught with danger, division and divisiveness.

I cannot recommend “The Time Machine” highly enough. I warmly encourage you to watch it….before time runs out.

★★★★★   Tony Clarke  28 February 2024

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan