Love Story at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Review
Love Story
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
19 June to 12 July 2014
Reviewed by Cathy Porteus
The film Love Story, based on Erica Segal’s novel of the same name, is a classic beloved by many, so taking it on and adapting it for a musical stage show could have been a risky move. The risk certainly paid off though, it works well and kept my attention engaged throughout. Familiar scenes from the movie are interspersed with songs and music, performed by a string quartet and pianist.
A classic tale of boy meets girl from the wrong side of the tracks is always appealing. In Love Story, Oliver is the rich Harvard student who falls for Jenny – an Italian American who hasn’t had such a privileged upbringing. Oliver can’t resist Jen’s sharp tongued humour and they fall head over heels in love. Almost before they know it, they become engaged and make plans to be together, much to the chagrin of both their fathers. Oliver’s snobby father thinks that Jenny’s appeal will not stay the course, whilst Jenny’s Dad is horrified that she is intending on throwing in a chance of a music scholarship to Paris. Instead she decides to teach and fund her new husband’s passage through Law School, after his father cuts them off without a penny.
The happily married couple find a way to make relative poverty in New York work for them and soon find themselves on the up, after Oliver excels at law and gets a lucrative job. Their move to a more affluent area with a view of Central Park is tinged with sadness when they have difficulty starting a family. A subsequent visit to a fertility clinic leads to the worse news possible – Jennifer is suffering from leukaemia and has only months to live. As events take a tragic turn, many of the audience were in tears, a tribute to both the well written story and the performers’ ability to tell the tale.
My first visit to the Bolton Octagon was on the very hot evening of England’s second world cup match. This might have contributed to some empty seats, which was a shame, as the show was excellent.
The Bolton Octagon is a really interesting theatre – the main stage is small and for this show was largely taken up with the musicians. This meant that much of the action took place whilst the characters moved up and down the wooden stepped area between the top stage and the main stage. They must have walked miles by the end of the show! It did work though, the simple set without any backdrop was augmented by a couple of flexible pieces of equipment that rolled out from niches in the stage, becoming a bed or table around which the scene unfolded.
The musicians proved to be multi-talented, as they joined in with the acting and singing too. The female singers had particularly good voices, I thought, with the main female star Lauren Samuels showing off her beautiful vocals throughout the performance.
There is a car park adjacent to the Octagon. If you take your car park ticket to the refreshments stall inside the theatre, they can validate it for a reduced charge of £2. There is also some parking directly outside, which is free after 6pm. The theatre has a reasonably priced café bar in the entrance area, as well as further refreshments and seating on the upper level.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £9 to £24 (booking fee may apply).
Love Story is at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton until 12 July 2014. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01204 520661.
Octagon Theatre. Howell Croft South, Bolton, BL1 1SB | 01204 520661
