Review: The Years

by Mike Matthaiakis

Eline Arbo’s adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s The Years is an astonishing theatrical feat, weaving together personal history and collective memory with remarkable fluidity. This production, now at the Harold Pinter Theatre following its acclaimed run at the Almeida, takes Ernaux’s semi-autobiographical account of post-war France and transforms it into a living, breathing tapestry of experience. With a stellar all-female cast and a storytelling approach that refuses to confine itself to a single perspective, The Years is both intimate and sweeping in scope.

Rather than following a linear path, the play unfolds through snapshots of a life, with five actors—Deborah Findlay, Romola Garai, Gina McKee, Anjli Mohindra, and Harmony Rose-Bremner—sharing the role of Annie at different stages. They move seamlessly between time periods, not only embodying the protagonist but also portraying the figures that shape her existence—parents, lovers, friends, and the social forces that define her world. It’s an ensemble performance in the truest sense, where individual identities dissolve into something greater: a shared female experience spanning decades.

Juul Dekker’s set design, striking in its simplicity, plays a crucial role in anchoring the production. A long dining table dominates the stage, standing as a symbol of familial bonds and shifting traditions. Over the course of the play, it becomes a site of childhood meals, political debates, romantic encounters, and solitary reflection—constantly redefined by time, much like memory itself. White sheets serve as a canvas for evolving images, hinting at how the past leaves its imprint on the present. Lighting and sound design subtly enhance these transitions, creating a dreamlike ebb and flow between moments.

While The Years charts the protagonist’s personal milestones—childhood curiosity, first love, marriage, motherhood, and the ache of growing older—it never loses sight of the political landscape shaping her life. The Algerian War, May ’68, shifting attitudes toward abortion, and the rise of consumer culture all form the backdrop of her journey. The play doesn’t hammer these themes but rather allows them to permeate naturally, showing how personal and political realities are inextricably linked.

Among the production’s most powerful moments are those that examine the protagonist’s evolving relationship with her own body and autonomy. There is humor and joy in the early scenes of adolescent discovery, yet heartbreak in later ones, particularly in a stark and deeply affecting abortion sequence. The collective nature of the storytelling amplifies these moments—when one version of Annie experiences trauma, the others seem to carry it with her, a silent chorus of past and future selves.

The performances are uniformly excellent. Romola Garai, as the younger adult Annie, captures both her idealism and vulnerability, particularly in scenes of romantic passion and disillusionment. Gina McKee brings gravitas to middle-aged Annie, balancing quiet reflection with the weight of unspoken regrets. Deborah Findlay, embodying the elder version, offers a portrayal rich in wisdom and acceptance, making the final moments all the more poignant. Anjli Mohindra and Harmony Rose-Bremner bring energy and playfulness to the younger versions, illuminating the boundless possibilities of youth before life’s realities set in.

Despite its weighty themes, The Years never becomes heavy-handed. There are moments of levity—an impromptu dance, a hilariously chaotic exercise routine, a delightfully awkward romantic encounter—that give the play a dynamic rhythm. The text, translated with care by Stephanie Bain, retains Ernaux’s detached yet deeply evocative style, allowing the audience to engage with the material on their own terms.

By the time the play reaches its conclusion, there is a palpable sense that we have not just witnessed one woman’s life but glimpsed something universal—the way time shapes us, the way memory lingers, and the way history echoes through generations. The Years is not just a play; it is an experience, a communal reflection on what it means to live, to remember, and to keep moving forward.

“The Years” is running until 19 April at the Harold Pinter Theatre.