Life imitates art

If ever an artist's work lent itself to theatrical treatment, it is that of Marc Chagall, best remembered for his colourful paintings of flying couples, blue-maned horses and green donkeys, as well, appropriately, as his numerous stage designs.

His life had more than its fair share of drama, too, from humble beginnings in a poor Russian-Jewish shtetl to eventual acclaim in the art world capitals of Paris and New York, via two world wars and one revolution.

So, what have writer Darren Tunstall and director Toby Wilsher managed to concoct from these potent elements in Tonight We Fly? An evocative yet highly simplistic tale of a man who simply wanted to be left alone to paint.

This is the latest production from Trestle Theatre Company, last seen in London in The Adventures of the Stoneheads during the National's 2002 Transformation season and acclaimed for its innovative use of masks.

Edmund Harcourt's likeable yet depth-free Chagall is, perhaps fittingly for an egocentric artist whose own needs constantly overruled everyone else's, the only speaking character, with the dozen or so other parts taken by four actor-musicians in oversized masks.

And how expressive Russell Dean's masks based on characters from Chagall's own paintings are. Through them, and especially from the focal point of the eyes, we receive detailed information about each set of personal traits.

Bella, Chagall's wife and muse, is open and enthusiastic, if a little nervous; Viktor, a struggling artist of a best friend, illustrates his predicament perfectly through his downcast expression.

Nonetheless, the device of having only one speaking voice halts the pace worryingly and deadens the impact of the narration until it is little more than a children's story. Deaths of beloved family members, lost work, penury: all these were facts of Chagall's life yet barely make an impact here.

It is trying, also, not to witness any representations of the very art that serves to generate such ongoing interest in its creator. Yet the overall atmosphere of a Chagall painting is suggested most lovingly, via live klezmer music from accordion, euphonium, saxophone and violin, a set of colourful miniature pop-up houses and meticulous costumes.

Ultimately, atmosphere was what this idiosyncratic talent was all about.

Until Sunday. Information: 020 8237 1111.

Tonight We Fly