Not all choreographers are good directors, but Christopher Wheeldon is. Even when dealing with a tricky text such as Laura Esquivel’s magical realist novel Like Water for Chocolate, his is a steady hand. His choreography seems in a telepathic relationship with the melody and mystery of Joby Talbot’s score, while Bob Crowley’s designs, inspired by Mexican architect Luis Barragán, give a sense of heat and isolation, and some visually arresting coups de theatre.
In brief, it’s the story of Tita (Francesca Hayward) and Pedro
(Marcelino Sambé), who are deeply in love but forbidden to marry – Tita must care for her demanding mother (a fierce Laura Morera, especially when she returns as a ghost). Pedro marries Tita’s sister, as his best chance to stay close to his true love, but that motive is one example of a detail, an emotional beat, that could be missed by viewers who haven’t read Esquivel’s book or seen the film. This show rewards a little research.
