Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Mike Maran productions, Civic,

13th October 2009

Jim Hutchon had a seat in the stalls ...

Mike Maran has dusted down one of his most successful productions – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – for a new audience and a new, extended tour. Not only dusted down, but honed and polished it, complete with new, highly evocative music and scenes of changed emphasis.

Maran is a natural story-teller, and kept the near-capacity audience on the edge of their seats as he took them through this modern Greek tragedy, telling the age-old story of a star-crossed love between a Greek girl and an enemy soldier, in the midst of war, betrayal, massacres and mistaken perceptions. Mike Maran’s sheer style carries the full weight of an epic tale of generations, accompanied by an enchanting mandolin from Alison Stephens and piano from Anne Evans, both of whom transform many of the set pieces into virtual songs.

This is live theatre at its finest, and draws out the heart of the work in a way the multi-million dollar epic film never could. In fact, the legendary author of the book Louis de Bernieres is quoted as saying, “I’d rather see your show than that film any day.”