High Noon review - Billy Crudup brings classic Hollywood western back with a bang
The Guardian••entertainment
Key Points:
- The West End musical adaptation of the classic 1952 Hollywood western uses Bruce Springsteen’s songs, line dancing, and a strong lead performance by Billy Crudup to reinterpret the story, though it initially feels disjointed and wooden in its staging.
- The production gains momentum as a debate play, focusing on themes of civic responsibility and institutional wrongdoing, drawing parallels between the original McCarthyism allegory and contemporary political issues in America.
- Crudup’s portrayal of marshal Will Kane holds up against the legacy of Gary Cooper, while Denise Gough’s Amy Fowler offers a grittier, more modern take, though some supporting characters lack depth.
- Springsteen’s songs add political resonance, with Gough’s powerful a cappella
