'Tristan & Yseult' Off-Broadway review — medieval love story gets a high-flying, genre-bending update

Read our review of Tristan & Yseult off Broadway, director Emma Rice's reimagining of a medieval love tale, running at St. Ann's Warehouse through November 22.

Summary

• Tristan & Yseult is a reimagining of a medieval star-crossed love story
• Director Emma Rice blends dance, music, acrobatics and more into a production that feels part Met Opera, part Cirque du Soleil, and all extravaganza
• The show is recommended for fans of star-crossed romances, fans of shows featuring actor/musicians, and fans of dance-forward shows

The first thing you’ll appreciate about Tristan & Yseult at St. Ann’s Warehouse is the music. As audiences file in, a dreamy, old-timey soundtrack is playing, and a small record player is set up on stage with vinyls by Fats Waller and Yma Sumac. There’s a small gantry over the extensive stage, and upon it are perched a full band, and before too long, they start performing songs for the lovelorn. They’re all in dark blue anoraks and cream-colored snoods, with binoculars hanging around their necks. In fact, they’re not the only ones: The theatre is dotted with others mingling with the audience, looking for love.

These are the Lovespotters, or the Club of the Unloved. Those who come expecting a medieval epic romance may not expect to be so fully endeared by one of these Lovespotters, brimming with British twee and inexorable hope, before the play even begins. But in many ways, they are the crux of director Emma Rice’s adaptation: They’re the everyday person. They’re not the vaulted epic hero who can’t help but be thrust into greatness; they’re human beings hoping to experience meaningful connection. They also ensure that the fourth wall is broken over and over throughout the night.

The legend of Tristan and Yseult — star-crossed lovers separated by Yseult's marriage to Tristan's father, King Mark — is no less than 900 years old, so there’s a lot of lofty storytelling that often goes along with it. But not with Rice’s production. Or, at least, not entirely. The story here feels utterly alive, like something wriggling in your hands — perhaps due to the expert way the tone flashes from sweet to slapstick to epic. Music continues to be crucial to the storytelling throughout. And there are even a few scenes that make you feel like you’re at a Cirque du Soleil show: For example, Tristan and Yseult's romance is consummated while they fly through the air on wires in a breathtaking, airborne dance sequence.

For a story that famously ends in tragedy, there’s no shortage of laughs here. Brangian (Tom Fox), a ladysmaid, is an excellent buffer and comedic relief for the lovers, like something out of a Monty Python sketch. Even the broody, oh-so-cool, très French Tristan (a mesmerizing John Leader) gets laughs from the audience during his melodramatic wedding toast. The utter drama of this medieval story is alive and well, too. In the closing scene, as the doomed lovers reach their fate, Yseult (a spectacular Nandi Bhebhe) screams an epic scream to the swells of Richard Wagner’s Tristan Und Isolde, just as a symbolic sheet comes crashing down behind her. It’s enough to raise goosebumps and make it feel, for the smallest second, that you actually ended up at the Met Opera.

In short, everything you might want in a genre-bending production is here. There are nods to the origins of these characters: Tristan speaks French; King Mark (Edward Rowe) speaks Kernewek, the native language of Cornwall; and Yseult speaks Gaelic, but the Lovespotters make them all understand each other. There are live performances (dance breaks included) of Harry Nilsson’s "Without You," Eric Carmen’s "All By Myself," and Raye’s "Where Is My Husband!" There’s physical comedy involving a stunt mattress and more involving high wires. It’s sultry, it’s funny, it’s tense, it’s tragic, and it all comes together in a breathtaking extravaganza.

Tristan & Yseult summary

In ancient Britain, young Tristan sails to the court of his father, King Mark of Cornwall, to meet him for the first time. Just as he arrives, the court is attacked by the aggressive Morholt of Ireland. Tristan and Mark defeat him, and Mark declares he will marry Morholt’s beloved sister Yseult as revenge. When Tristan sets off to find his father’s intended bride, Yseult tends Tristan’s battle wounds, and they fall madly in love. Bound by duty, Tristan delivers Yseult to Mark to be married, but the young lovers will do anything in their power to keep seeing each other.

The story of Prince Tristan and Queen Yseult (sometimes spelled Iseult or Isolde) goes back as far as the 12th century, probably originating in the British Isles around the same time as Arthurian legends were being put to paper. The tale has many variations and, over the course of its long life in the Western canon, has inspired countless other works of art, most notably Richard Wagner’s 1865 opera Tristan und Isolde.

What to expect at Tristan & Yseult

Like any good ancient epic, there’s no definitive version of Tristan & Yseult, and writers through the centuries have made it their own to reflect whatever time they were writing in. The same is true for this adaptation. The story is streamlined for modern audiences, cleaning up some of the relationships to make them simpler — i.e., Tristan is Mark’s son instead of his nephew, and Iseult is Morholt’s sister instead of his niece. Some of the fantastical elements, like dragons and dwarves, have been lopped as well. The biggest magical component here is the love potion Tristan and Yseult drink on the ship to Cornwall, but it’s conflated with the phenomenon of first love, so theatregoers who can’t get down with magical interference can treat it as a metaphor.

Perhaps the most modern adaptation is the decision of who gets to tell it. Those familiar with the story might know the identity of our narrator, “Mistress Whitehands,” as soon as you hear her name. It’s obvious to all that she has some connection to the story, though she’s light on details until the very end. And though her grievances are clearly paining her, she narrates the rest of the tale with the storybook whimsy of a Disney movie mixed with a healthy dose of snark.

Not only does this adaptation make a character often painted as a villain into the most sympathetic of all (even before we hear her backstory), Whitehands is also the key to introducing the Lovestoppers. Sure, this Tristan & Yseult celebrates the great love stories that dominate books, film, and TV. But it also carves out a special place in the narrative for those who don’t have epic romances written about them — those who are just hoping that one day, someone will love them too.

Tristan & Yseult runs 2 hours and 10 minutes, including an intermission.

What audiences are saying about Tristan & Yseult

Tristan & Yseult is a hit with audiences so far, with an 83% approval rating from a total of 21 reviews on the review aggregator Show-Score as of writing. Reviewers have especially praised the work of director Emma Rice and the genre-bending mix of themes.

• “This is a brilliantly directed piece of theater. I so enjoyed the variety of styles.” - Show-Score user Shelley W
• “Romantic romance mixes medieval story, Wagnerian opera, modern music, acrobatics, and Monty Python style slapstick. And it works!” - Show-Score user Wish I Could See Them All
• “This production was magical, exceptional, hilarious, moving, musical, athletic, beautiful. I have never experienced a show like it.” - Show-Score user Nathalie 6105

Read more audience reviews of Tristan & Yseult on Show-Score.

Who should see Tristan & Yseult

• Theatregoers who love actor/musicians on stage will be charmed by the talented ensemble and the ever-present band.
• Fans of star-crossed love stories, like Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, or even Titanic will be drawn in by the intense longing and electric chemistry between Tristan and Yseult.
• Fans of shows that heavily incorporate dance will delight in just how important the choreography is to the world and storytelling of Tristan & Yseult.

Learn more about Tristan & Yseult off Broadway

Whether you’re familiar with the medieval tale or not, Emma Rice brings the classic story screaming into the 21st century for all to enjoy. Part musical, part dance theatre, part comedy, part tragedy, the genre-bending epic romance of Tristan and Yseult will sweep you off your feet.

Learn more and get Tristan & Yseult tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Tristan & Yseult is at St. Ann's Warehouse through November 22.

Photo credit: Tristan & Yseult off Broadway. (Photos by Julieta Cervantes)