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Theatre Reviews
When Harry Met Sally

DETAILS
Adapted by: Marcy Kahan Director: Loveday Ingram Music: Ben Cullum & Jamie Cullum Staring: Luke Perry & Alyson Hannigan
Theatre Royal Haymarket London, SW1Y 4HT Tube: Charing Cross (Run Finished)	Performances Duration: 2 hrs 20 mins Group Bookings 020 8949 5363

Intro:
Rob Reiner's 1989 film When Harry Met Sally has become a centerpiece in the discussion of men and women being friends without having sex. It's so classic that the scene where Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm is recognisable to people who haven't seen the film.

This reputation thus functions as a blessing and a barrier to the stage production that just opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, starring Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210) and Alyson Hannigan (American Pie, TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in the title roles. Despite their fresh performances, Perry and Hannigan have to contend with the demands that they fill the shoes of Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Ryan and Crystal have both proved themselves
as credible actors, and yet Ryan's obituary will surely mention the fake orgasm scene -- it made her career.

Furthermore, Perry and Hannigan are both so known for their earlier roles that those earlier roles are now a stigma for their future hopes of being considered serious actors. They run the chance of being continually pegged as Dylan and Willow, forever expected to say "Take it easy, Bren" or be the band camp chick who stuck a flute you know where.

Fortunately for Perry, Hannigan and the rest of those involved with the stage show, the story's beginning has been changed. Instead of starting at a car ride in 1977, it's in Sally's apartment in 1987, and Harry is painting her apartment for a summer job. The die-hard fans need not cry apocrypha; those minor modifications are the only changes, and the main plotlines are still there. He's still her friend's boyfriend, and they still meet each other every five years. And the part that made the movie for so many fans -- the scenes where the couples explain how they met -- are woven in between the scenes flawlessly.

Perry's Harry is more smug than Crystal's. He is more of a distant, macho alpha male, whereas Crystal made use of his character background to play Harry as a flamboyant New Yorker that was two notches below being a stereotypical Jewish mother. Also, unlike Crystal at the time he played Harry, Perry is still in his peak physical shape. He shows his backside for a total of two seconds, which is enough to get the crowd whistling and hollering.

Hannigan's portrayal of Sally is more similar to that of her predecessor, and unfortunately, it's hard to think of her as trying to blaze new trails. She is well-suited for the role, having a squeaky voice and proud but not confident demeanor, but she's too similar to Meg Ryan. Still, she does well in the role, and she and Perry make a good pair.

It's a perfect adaptation of a modern classic. The changes make it work onstage in ways that a literal screenplay-to-script conversion wouldn't have, and the lines are still just as funny as they were 15 years ago. It's a sweet story that derives a lot of its content from sex, and beyond that, watching heartthrobs excel at adapting a script is just plain fun. And the fake orgasm scene is just as funny as it was in the film, with a great twist. You'll want to have what she's having; it's that good.