This is an implausible musical, and you may spend the overlong first half feeling underwhelmed. But the ending is deeply moving – proof of sorts that master technicians are at work.
Directed by Trevor Nunn, with music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe respectively, Identical is based on Erich Kästner’s novel Das Doppelte Lottchen, in which twin girls separated as children meet at a summer camp and switch places when returning to their respective homes. Screen adaptations paid dividends for director Nancy Meyers in 1998 and for Disney in 1961, both using the name The Parent Trap.
