The Years | Harold Pinter Theatre

Based on Annie Ernaux’s Nobel Prize winning memoir Les Annees, Eline Arbo’s adaptation of The Years first premiered in 2022 at the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, where she works as artistic director. Making its English premiere at the Almeida with translation by Stephanie Bain, the production now moves into the Harold Pinter Theatre. After hearing so much word of mouth following its Almeida run, how did it fare for me now that it’s moved to the West End?

I was gifted a ticket in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Years

Cast

• Harmony-Rose Bremner
• Anjli Mohindra
• Romola Garai
• Gina McKee
• Deborah Findley

Rating: ★★★★★

What is The Years about?

The Years chronicles a French woman Annie’s woman’s political and sexual journey starting from the end of World War II all the way to post-9/11 Europe.

What are my thoughts on The Years?

Among Annie Ernaux’s most deep and personal works, I’m happy to say that The Years is a masterpiece on the stage. Eline Arbo’s direction keeps the female perspective consistent as The Years explores the multifacets of womanhood through the eyes of Annie in a swift two hours. From her sexual awakening to marriage, motherhood to divorce, there’s a rich universality to the piece as every woman can relate to the situations and that influenced the culture of the time across six decades. There’s something much needed today about looking back to the past and that fear of history repeating itself while those in power are slowly trying to strip away women’s rights and bodily autonomy.

While primarily about womanhood, The Years is as much about memory. Photographs frame each shift in time, capturing a snapshot of each decade whether it be notable figures, the latest technology or political conflicts. From the Algeria war to jazzercise to Monica Lewinsky’s blue dress, it expands from Annie’s small closed-off world beyond her dream to live in Paris to the wider one with humour, heart and honesty. Helped by Juul Dekker’s set of white sheets and a central table that allow us to imagine the periods. Rebekka Wörmann’s costumes add to the imagination, each woman wearing monochrome outfits resembling the trends of their period while remaining cohesive, even put to clever use when they have to switch genders.

Much has been said about The Years’ controversial abortion scene causing audience members to faint (including at the press performance I attended). While a harrowing scene which left me feeling queasy, it’s also one handled with utmost care and sensitivity. Neither gratuitous nor sensationalised, the one thing I will say is this production shouldn’t be defined by scene alone when considering its wider context within the piece.

What’s the cast like?

What really glues The Years together is its mesmerising five-piece cast who play Annie across various ages along with other figures in her life. In spite of their differing ages and appearances, they all feel like the same person. Newcomer Harmony Rose-Bremner brings huge energy and a stunning voice. Angli’s Mohindra’s adolescent has equal humour and tragedy as she discovers the joys of masturbation (one of many cringe-inducing yet hilarious moments) before facing slut shaming. Romola Garai’s twenty-something Annie is among the most captivating, her guttural screams haunting me in the aforementioned abortion scene.

Gina McKee’s fifty-something divorcee captures so much nuance beyond a stereotypical mid-life crisis as she takes on a new lover, still expressing her desire for her book to be put out into the world in one sex scene. Deborah Finlay’s eldest version of Annie is something of a tragic one, with no desire to look ahead of the future as she knows time will soon end and the world will carry one without her.

What are my overall thoughts?

While it will be a difficult watch for some, The Years is a powerful piece of theatre that feels urgently needed today. Annie Ernaux’s work is fearlessly brought to the stage thanks to Arbo’s stellar direction, its imaginative staging rounded off by a phenomenal five-piece cast all-round. It’s among the most gripping productions on in the West End that is unafraid to challenge audiences, something that I feel is much needed now.

The Years runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre until March 29.