Minority Report

Lyric Hammersmith, 06/05/24

Credit: Tristram Kenton

Final rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

With an air of 80’s sci-fi about it, a soundtrack of curious synth waves blared as I took my seat – for the first time – in the Lyric. The play opens with a lecture-style speech from Julia (Jodie McNee), talking about the scientific advances that have enabled the reality of ‘Pre-Crime’, a detection service that identifies a criminal before they actually commit a crime.

Based on the short story by Philip K Dick – this new interpretation relocates the action to London, unlike New York in the Hollywood blockbuster version starring Tom Cruise. And I think it is probably the story that is the weakest element of the whole production, but it is nonetheless still enjoyable. In an early twist, Julia is revealed as the next target of pre-crime, and is forced to go on the run insisting she is innocent. Her AI assistant – David (Tanvi Virmani) – acts as her sidekick and often comic relief – who starts as a digital on screen projection. We then, as if by magic, watch her materialise before our very eyes – in a special effect making use of the Lyric’s floor platforms. It looked epic.

The set deserves a special mention because I’ve never seen anything as impressive. It made the whole production come across as exceedingly high budget. From the futuristic Taxi pod, to the intricate maze of corridors – it was visually stunning. The action is split between various locations and the direction does a great job at guiding us through without ever needing to explicitly tell us where we are in that moment, it is always obvious. I loved how all the cast maximised their use of the spaces – during various climbing scenes or hiding underneath low-hanging roofs.

The supporting cast – when not being a specific side character, act as pre-crime officers during the heights of Julia’s escape. They are dressed like something out of the Matrix, but intimidate the audience with torches and umbrellas. It might have come off a little cheesy but I think coupled with the dramatic soundtrack, it works. Special mention to Ricardo Castro who was particularly menacing.

I enjoyed a lot of the dialogue, and the pacing was good at 90 minutes no interval. There was a beautiful moment between Ana (Roseanna Frascona) and Julia, where we hear the rationale behind wanting to abolish pre-crime. Ana recalls how she was trafficked by an ex-lover, and describes poignantly how she wants the opportunity to think about all the ways to kill him – in the comfort of her own mind. It kept me invested in the moral debate of the concept, and was a standout bit of dialogue.

Towards the end, when we’re taken in the lift down to the vault – where the pre-cogs are based – it is indescribably chilling to see three bodies stuffed inside this suspended tank. It reminded me of the Programme Controller of Satellite 5 in the Doctor Who episode “The Parting Of The Ways”. Again, visually it was done very well, although from this point onwards Nick Fletcher as George felt a bit awkwardly irrelevant to the action. It also felt a bit clumsy when he was present in the office for the entirety of the final twist.

Overall, it was a thrilling and impressive night at the theatre – my mind was blown by some of the special effects on display, and the acting performance of Jodie McNee was captivating to watch. I will be seriously recommending this as a must-see.