It can be very hard to really enjoy a stage adaptation of a book or film you’ve enjoyed and this clumsy version of K Pax is definitely no exception. Part of the problem is that Jeff Daniels and Kevin Spacey did a pretty good job with the tale of aliens and mental illness but the main hurdle is that this version is pretty lacklustre and scatological.
We’ve been informed that Gene Brewer, author of K Pax, prefers Andy McQuade as Prot over Kevin Spacey but it’s hard to see why, as he lacks the instant charm and charisma of Spacey and inaudibly bumbles and mugs his way through this tiresome play. Admittedly he does come into his own in the hypnosis scenes but it is definitely a case of too little too late. In fact, it is the two main roles that let the production down, as they don’t have the required dynamic and McQuade simply lacks the cool confidence that the part requires.
While the entire play is badly paced and fairly insipid there a number of decent performances that suggests that their other productions might be worth a look. Amongst these Nika Khitrova and Corin Rhys Jones are particularly worthy of note as two of the other patients.
2/5
Richard Biggs
