The Royal Shakespeare Company presents a breathtaking staging of an epic story - The Forsyte Saga, spanning four decades, three generations, and two plays. First adapted for the radio from the novels of John Galsworthy by Shaun McKenna and Lin Cochlan, the pair now bring the saga to life on the stage, under the direction of Josh Roche, in a minimalist but utterly gripping theatrical experience. 

The plays revolve around the formidable Forsyte family. Part 1 is entitled Irene, after the wife of Soames Forsyte. Soames, played expertly by Joseph Millson, is fatally proprietorial, and obsessed with ownership - of wealth, fine paintings, and most of all, his wife. Irene, magnificently portrayed by Fiona Hampton, cannot love her husband, but in the first years of their marriage has maintained a very British stiff upper lip about the business - until she falls deeply in love with Philip Bosinney (Andy Rush), the architect of Soames’ new house.

The entire Saga is narrated by Fleur (Flora Spencer-Longhurst), Soames’ daughter from his second marriage - hinting at the various domestic dramas which besiege the Forsytes from start to finish. Fleur sticks out from her surroundings, not only in her elegant 1930s trousers and blouse - which set her apart from her ancestors’ late-Victorian gowns and frock coats, designed by Anna Yates. The cavernous gap between the generations couldn’t be clearer. In fact, this is the nucleus of the production, which documents the fracturing British Empire and class system, through a magnifying glass trained on a single turbulent family. 

The company is magnificent - in the RSC’s Swan Theatre, every emotion is tangible. Millson, Hampton and Spencer-Longhurst are the only actors who stick to single characters throughout. The rest of the cast switch effortlessly between roles, almost unrecognizable from one moment to the next. 

There is not enough time to unpick the subtleties of each performance, but at the transition into Part 2, something magical happens. Irene’s generation ages by 20 years, now played in their maturity by older actors. The performers who previously brought grand, Victorian passions to the stage now depict the youngest generation - and history starts to repeat itself.

The second play, subtitled Fleur, is colder in the wake of the First World War. While Part 1 is elegantly performed in front of a vast, sumptuous red curtain, the second has been stripped back even further. Soames is a relic of a bygone era, and has showered luxury on his new possession, Fleur. As the estranged family collide again, the ghosts of the first play are brought out of the darkness, and Fleur - who as narrator is older and wiser - is shown as a 19 year old, who is just as ruthlessly possessive as her father. 

The jewel in the crown of this production is the light-touch, but thoroughly effective design. Alex Musgrave’s lighting design conjures up rooms and busy streets from thin air, and the immersive sound design by Max Pappenheim fills the theatre with bird song, music, and an atmospheric soundscape. 

As a period piece of event theatre, The Forsyte Saga is something truly special - gripping, funny and moving in equal measure. Sample Irene’s story in Part 1 - and don’t be surprised if you’re eager for more from this sensational company. 

Five Stars

The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 & 2 were reviewed on Friday 5 December by Jessica Clixby at the RSC’s Swan Theatre, where both plays show until Saturday 10 January