Perhaps because she found it too intimate – or because Sartre disapproved – Simone de Beauvoir’s 1954 novel The Inseparables remained unpublished in her lifetime. Grace Joy Howarth’s new stage adaptation, directed by Anastasia Bunce, is a tender and faithful translation of this rediscovered novel.
The novel memorialises the intense friendship between Sylvie and Andrée (stand-ins for de Beauvoir and her childhood friend Zaza Lacoin). Their friendship is marked by precocious intellectualism as they both chafe against a strict Catholic upbringing. Sylvie is relatable and a little naïve, one of those people naturally attracted to wild characters. Andrée is charismatic, intensely religious, and terrifyingly single-minded.
The opening is a little uneven, partly because neither Ayesta Ostler (Sylvie) nor Lara Manela (Andrée) are at ease playing nine-year-old girls. They are both overly mannered and, at times, it feels as though they are imitating how child actors act, rather than how children actually behave. But they soon find their rhythm: once Sylvie and Andrée are fifteen, the verve and intensity of both leads is magnificent.
The other cast members, Caroline Trowbridge and Alexandre Costet-Barmada, also shine. Trowbridge is particularly convincing as Andrée’s controlling mother. Despite their difficult relationship, Andrée is devoted to her mother, and this dynamic is captivating.
The Inseparables sometimes falters in its pacing. Chopping and changing between numerous very short scenes becomes wearying. It’s been a long time since I’ve read the novel, but perhaps Howarth is overly faithful to her source text and should trust herself to make more structural changes.
Her writing is best when one can feel she is writing for the stage. One brilliant scene has Andrée arguing with her mother, just as Sylvie berates another character. We hear snatches of each conversation, all on the same topic and with a great deal of overlapping lines.
Clever use of projection and music shifts the atmosphere with ease. The window at the back becomes a stained-glass window in an austere church, a rushing river, or photographs of Andrée as a child. As the final events begin to unfold, a quiet repeated riff in the background imposes a sense of mounting urgency.
The Inseparables is a beautifully realised adaptation with a strong cast and compelling emotional depth. Despite minor flaws, it offers a poignant, thoughtful meditation on female friendship, autonomy, and the weight of familial and social expectations.
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