Joseph L Mankiewicz’s 1950 film came into my life a year or two ago, shown at the film club I co-run on a Monday. It was my first foray into the films of Bette Davis, and I thoroughly enjoy it. As the film is in turn based on the 1946 short story “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr, I was curious to see how it would translate to the stage, and even more excited when a favourite leading man of mine was announced as part of the cast, and thus could be found inside the Noel Coward Theatre for the first time since Mrs Henderson Presents this past Saturday!

“Margo Channing. Legend. True star of the theatre. The spotlight is hers, always has been.

But now there’s Eve. Her biggest fan. Young, beautiful Eve. The golden girl, the girl next door. But you know all about Eve… don’t you?”

Margo Channing has everything she could wish for – wildly successful theatre career, legions of fans, a loving partner. One night as she steps offstage, she is introduced to sweet, unassuming Eve Harrington, a devoted fan who has seen every one of her performances. Slowly but markedly, Eve ingratiates herself into Margo’s life and relationships, and the scale of her ambition threatens to tear Margo’s world apart.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the show is it’s so strikingly staged by Jan Versweyveld. The set is boxed, and the walls lift to reveal all backstage, actors constantly moving in and out. There’s live camera work too, projected onto screens around the stage, so we can see the action that happens offstage. I took away this sense that the public and private merge into one, which I found smart given society’s fascination with Hollywood and celebrity. The lighting is also wonderfully atmospheric, especially when teamed with PJ Harvey’s melancholy score.

This was my first experience of acclaimed director Ivo Van Hove’s work, and I hope not the last. The script of the film remains largely intact (including that famous line), but underneath I found it refreshingly smart, cynical and self aware. As someone who loves the world these characters inhabit, the way in which it’s been reimagined for a more modern audience struck a chord: I was left thinking about the nature of being a “fan” and what that means, the fact that lines can be blurred, the industry for women when they reach a certain age, and so on. I love nothing better than when a piece of theatre sparks that intrigue and makes me think.

There were times, on occasion, when I felt the screen use detracted from things happening onstage, for example during Bill’s party where a conversation was overshadowed by audience laughter as we see a drunken Margo stumbling around the bathroom, champagne glass and bottle in hand, eventually puking in the toilet. But I think that’s just personal preference: for me this piece has never been overtly funny, but gives its best humour in more subtle ways. I found myself at times having to shift my attention between stage and screen as different things were happening simultaneously, and it was a balancing act I couldn’t quite keep up as well as I would’ve wanted. That being said, all in all the production feels slick and showcases why Van Hove is such a celebrated director: taking the familiar and giving it his own unique flair!

Full disclosure: before yesterday, I’d never seen Gillian Anderson work. Stage, screen, nothing. In a way, I was incredibly thankful for that as it made it all the more exciting and I had no preconceptions about her acting style. I love the character of Margo because she is so contradictory: feisty but also deeply insecure, and Gillian’s portrayal was stunning because she understood and brought out those dynamics beautifully; I particularly loved her scene with Karen (Monica Dolan) where the two sit down on the floor and Margo laments about the future and the sacrifices she’s made for her career. Gillian’s subtely is her greatest strength: she manages to say more with a simple raise of an eyebrow or curl of the lip than her words often do!

In the last production I saw Lily James in, my sheer disappointment over the production as a whole overshadowed the praise I so badly wanted to afford her. After yesterday, I’m sorry I let that happen. She makes for a beguiling Eve, and it was fun watching her play with all the different sides to the character’s personality, even if the nastier elements felt a tad restrained. I so wanted to see her let go and though for me she didn’t quite get there with the intensity I like in the character, her presence is remarkable and she more than held her own alongside Gillian.

There’s a show stealing performance from Monica Dolan, who shapes Karen into far more than the film ever makes of her. She’s witty, intelligent and has more balls than most of the men we find around her, but contrasts this with moments of beautifully understated vulnerability, and the blend is a joy to behold. There’s strong work too, from Sheila Reid as Margo’s faithful former dresser and confidant Birdie, who’s cynicism and comic timing are razor sharp.

Coming clean again here: Julian Ovenden was the reason I booked this show. I get to see him once in a blue moon when he’s not recording albums or filming television, so I take whatever opportunity to see him I can get. Therefore, I am unashamedly biased, but I loved his portrayal of Bill, Margo’s lover. Julian makes him suave and passionate but also endearingly sweet, and the chemistry he shared with Gillian was brilliant: I especially loved their scene in Margo’s dressing room where they end up fighting about Eve as he tries to understand why she is acting the way she has been.

Elsewhere, Rhashan Stone is a charming and likeable Lloyd, and Stanley Townsend an imposing figure as Addison DeWitt, even when the direction lets him err a little too far towards “overacting” during his confrontation with Eve.

With no interval and compelling performances, the two hours whizz by. I’m incredibly glad to have taken a punt on a clever reimagining of one of my favourite classics. NT Live are broadcasting the play to cinemas on 11th April, do try and catch it that way if you haven’t managed to get tickets!

For info and tickets, visit: https://allabouteveplay.com/