'The Years' Review: Five Women Triumph in a Biography for the Ages

★★★★★ | The Years opens with a silhouette. Lit from behind, five figures stand bathed in shadows – addressing us and speaking on the power of photos, of moments caught in time, of memories preserved for generations yet unseen. In this opening motif, five women become one silhouette; five women of different races and ages, of voices and features, come together to tell the singular story of a woman’s life. It is a marvel to behold. 

The Years lands on the West End following a sold-out, critically lauded run at the Almeida Theatre. Based on the memoir Les Années by French writer Annie Ernaux, it chronicles Annie’s life from her childhood in post-World War II France to her old age in the 21st century. It is a life literally told in snapshots, with each new chapter introduced by the description of a photo – the first one, a portrait of a rambunctious young Annie in bloomers; later, a family photo of a middle-aged, weary Annie with her husband and children. 

The company of The Years. Photo Credit: Helen Murray

This is a play that, depending on the creative team, could have easily swung to one of two extremes: a one-woman black box show perhaps, or a behemoth West End production complete with a large ensemble and ever-shifting set. Writer-director Eline Arbo, however, finds an impeccable midway point. The Years features a stark design by Varja Klosse (lighting) and Juul Dekker (set). The lights, wings, and back brick walls of the theatre are left black and bare; a dinner table and white tablecloths are the most-used set pieces. We must instead imagine the many bustling cities and lonely houses and chaotic parties Annie attends, a task made easy by Arbo’s magnificent script, which flows with poetic refrains and relentlessly detailed descriptions that are more impactful, more vivid, and often more disturbingly graphic than anything that could be literally depicted on stage. 

An incredible playtext, however, is only as good as the actors who perform it. Here, The Years once again soars. Annie’s life is portrayed by five actors – Harmony Rose-Bremner, Anjli Mohindra, Romola Garai, Gina McKee, and Deborah Findlay – each of whom represent Annie in a different stage of life, from childhood through to old age. All are brilliant. Indeed, it’s a struggle to say anything else, other than that each of them delivers a masterclass performance, bringing their own nuances to Annie whilst maintaining a character consistency that makes it easy to believe that these five women are actually one. 

The company of The Years. Photo Credit: Helen Murray

Two actors do merit additional praise: Harmony Rose-Bremner is a triple threat, not only delivering a gleeful performance as child Annie, but also singing – no, roaring – Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig in the Sky, and also dancing during a hilarious jazzercise scene. Romola Garai, as Annie in her twenties, is the emotional and narrative heart of the play; her harrowing abortion-at-home scene is one of the most disturbing and terrifyingly real performances that I have ever witnessed. 

It is in thinking of this scene, however, that I do come to my one criticism of this production. It is an intense experience to watch The Years, which comments on topics from assault to abortion to the Holocaust, genocide, and xenophobia, often in graphic and distressing detail. While the cast clearly has the tools to navigate this content – they check in with one another throughout the play and an intimacy director was part of the production's creative team – the audience does not have this luxury. Theatregoers are left to deal with extremely triggering content on their own. For a play of this graphic nature, I would have liked to see the creative team, the Almeida, or the Harold Pinter Theatre team provide more resources and support for the audience. 

We have seen such methods work in the past, to no detriment of the play itself: Slave Play (formerly at the Noël Coward Theatre) offered audience members a mental-health resource pack, while Clean Break Theatre Company's recent Scenes From Lost Mothers led audience members in a guided check-in/check-out before and after the performance. These are small details (and entirely voluntary), but when staging a play with such explicit, harrowing content, I would argue that such safeguards enhance the theatrical experience, allowing audiences to fully appreciate the immense talent on- and off-stage, rather than feel stranded or overwhelmed by what they are witnessing. 

The company of The Years. Photo Credit: Helen Murray

By criticising The Years for its vividness, I am in fact complimenting it. This is an incredible production, one that deserves the audience’s full attention and awe. To prospective audiences, I say: consider if you can handle the content of this play, and take care of yourself above all. But if you can, go see it. Bring a friend you can hold close, and talk to them about it afterwards. But go see it, because The Years is truly a play for the ages.

★★★★★

The Years runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 19 April.