Reviews Roundup: Sarah Jessica Parker in Plaza Suite

Savoy Theatre

Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick in Plaza Suite. Photo: Marc Brenner

There was much excitement among fans of Sex And The City’s Sarah Jessica Parker when it was announced that she and her husband Matthew Broderick were coming to London to star in Neil Simon‘s two-hander Plaza Suite. For the fandom, the play probably didn’t matter, but most critics were divided between those who liked the comedy and those who really didn’t. Written in 1968, it has Simon’s trademark one liners but can seem old fashioned. Its three acts each tell a story about a different married couple staying in the eponymous hotel room. The ticket prices seemed to weigh on almost everyone’s mind, and whether the star names justified paying £300 or more. Some of the critics were not impressed by the SJP but, for many, she was a ‘revelation’. On the whole, it seems supporters of Sarah Jessica Parker will not be disappointed, even at the eye-watering prices, but for someone simply looking for a good night out, there are better value choices.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

It’s ‘a celebrity circus’ moaned Arifa Akbar in The Guardian (2★), lamenting the way the audience members were cheering before the performance even began. As for the show: ‘the production is flat and forgettable…(it) seems effectively to coast on the fame of its two stars.’ Not that they impressed her either: ‘Under the direction of John Benjamin Hickey, it feels strangely like Parker and Broderick are saying lines rather than assuming roles.’ As to the ticket price, ‘What a low, lazy bar to set at such a high price’.

Fiona Mountford in the i (2★) had a similarly low opinion of the show calling it ‘an inert production’. Describing the play, she said`: ‘The dialogue is repetitive and the emotional veracity of the script minimal,’ As for the stars, ‘they manifest almost zero chemistry together on stage’ (but see Adam Bloodworth at CityAM later). The Stage’s (2★) Sam Marlowe described the play as ‘a theatrical museum piece’ and the stars as ‘competent’. For Alice Saville in The Independent (2★) was on the same wavelength, describing the play as ‘creaky’ and Parker and Broderick as ‘just about good enough’.

Even the three star reviews had little good to say about the play. Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times (3★) referred to ‘its creakily dated depiction of the sexes. More than 50 years on, the comedy has aged.’ She concedes ‘It’s Neil Simon: there are zingers and classic bits of funny business’ before concluding ‘But old is not always gold.’ What redeemed the evening for her, as for so many, was SJP: ‘Parker… is a joy, bringing zest, precise detail and sharp comic timing to her characters.’

Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out (3★) had a similar view: ‘there’s definitely no reason you need to see Plaza Suite’ he said, unless ‘you’ve come for the leads’. For him it’s a ‘fusty, stilted production’ but he did praise the stars: ‘Broderick labours some of his parts, but he’s always trying to do something interesting. Parker, meanwhile, may not be the actress to find depth in this script, but she has an effervescent lightness of touch that leavens the stodginess of the writing.’ Sarah Crompton at Whats On Stage (3★) was another who was not keen on the play but was bowled away by the Sex And the City star: ‘yet Parker’s honesty, her vigour, and her pure gift for comedy both physical and verbal, disguise some of their obvious shortcomings. She’s a revelation.’

The same word cropped up in Debbie Gilpin’s review at Broadway World (3★): ‘Sarah Jessica Parker is a revelation…expertly judging the tone required and effortlessly balancing the humour and the drama involved. In addition, Parker’s comic timing is excellent’. For Stefan Kyriazis in The Express (3★), the shine was taken off the evening by Neil Simon’s writing. While acknowledging that ‘Simon excels at repartee and snappy one-liners’, he was concerned that ‘the playwright’s women from this era are relentlessly ridiculous, foolish and insubstantial.’

Not everyone was critical of Neil Simon’s play. Clive Davis in The Times (4★) was ‘glad to see Simon’s name back in lights in the West End.’ He described the playwright as ‘a craftsman who knew all about the underrated art of making people laugh.’ As for the star, ‘Parker delivers ditziness throughout the evening.’ John Nathan at the Jewish Chronicle (4★) loved everything about it (except the prices). He described it as ‘a perfectly formed play’ in a ‘terrific production’. Like others, he found SJP a ‘revelation’. ‘It is her range that stands out,’ he said. Matt Wolf reviewing for The Arts Desk (4★) is another critic who said: ‘I confess to not being prepared for the range Parker displays here, and her gift for walking a tightrope between wise-cracking wit and wistfulness.’

Nick Curtis in The Standard (4★) enthused: ‘John Benjamin Hickey’s Broadway production is like a vintage Rolls Royce: stately, old-fashioned, expensive. But it’s carrying two stars who can actually act.’ He was taken by SJP ‘showing off considerable comic chops and an easy onstage rapport with her husband Matthew Broderick.’ Adam Bloodworth at CityAM (4★) thought it was ‘darn good fun’ and, taking a contrary view to Fiona Mountford, ‘these two explode with chemistry’. He concedes: ‘it would have been more interesting to put these two talented actors in something more up to date’.  Prtice was no obstacle for The Telegraph‘s (4★) Dominic Cavendish who thought it was ‘a wallet busting treat’.

Average critic rating (out of 5) 3.1★

Value rating  16 (Value rating is the Average critic rating divided by the most common Stalls ticket price. In theory this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 30 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60. This rating is based on opening night prices- theatres may raise or lower prices during the run.)

Plaza Suite can be seen at the Savoy Theatre until 13 April 2024. Click here to buy tickets directly from the theatre

If you’ve seen Plaza Suite, you are welcome to add your review and rating below (but please keep it relevant and polite)

Reviews roundup: Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray

Theatre Royal Haymarket

Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Photo: Marc Brenner

High praise for Sarah Snook and The Picture of Dorian Gray but the high prices brought down the Value Rating. The Succession star’s virtuoso performance as 26 different characters was matched by a dazzling production from Kip Williams featuring live and recorded video on screens.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls, and therefore may not be accessible]

Describing it as ‘tinglingly virtuoso and startlingly dangerous’ in her Guardian (5★) review, Arifa Akbar said it is ‘a true high-wire act, not only because of Snook’s fleet and fabulous performance but also because of the accompaniment of screens, pre-recorded footage, live film crew, and orchestration of technology that is as dazzling as it is complicated, heightening theatricality rather than distracting from it.’ She concluded: ‘It is all beautiful, brilliant, maniacally unmissable.’ Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph (5★) was impressed by the production and the star: ‘Snook doesn’t shortchange us on a chameleonic tour de force that flips genders as fast as pancakes,’ he said. She ‘holds us in thrall, inhabiting all 26 characters in Kip Williams’ adaptation, narrating as she goes. Her shape-shifting is magnified by the live-filming of her every move.’

Sarah Hemming in The Financial Times (5★) called the show ‘a virtuoso performance in an astonishing piece of theatre.’

Fiona Mountford in the i (5★) said Sarah Snook gives ‘two hours of unceasing acting dynamite.’ The reviewer was impressed when, ‘At one point, she chats at a lunch party to six other versions of herself. This impeccable technological feat, so fraught with potential peril, unfolds without a single glitch.’  Stefan Kyriazis in The Express (5★) said Ms Snook gave ‘a fiercely fearless, full-throttle, utterly exposed display’.  Top marks for Ms Snook from Helen Hawkins at The Arts Desk (5★) too: ‘She is a hugely engaging stage presence, not merely a versatile trouper but a subtle, funny actress who conspiratorially draws you into the piece’. The production, she said, is ‘a dazzling display of virtuoso acting and technical wizardry.’

Time Out‘s (4★)   said it was ‘a dizzying technical masterpiece, boasting a tour-de-force performance from Sarah ‘Shiv Roy’ Snook.’ His reservation is that it’s ‘exhilarating but shallow’. ‘Snook shows us sweat, snot and desperation in unforgiving close-up’ said Nick Curtis in The Standard (4★) in what he called ‘a technically adroit and complex production.’  ‘Her extreme, carnivalesque performance here is like nothing else I’ve ever seen.’  Sarah Crompton over at Whats On Stage (4★) is just as enthusiastic about Ms Snook: ‘Her confidence on stage is breathtaking; she owns the space, elegantly playing with all the technology, never being drowned by it. Given how big the effects around her sometimes are, how broad the comedy and sweeping the melodrama, she acts with remarkable subtlety and sensitivity.’

Alice Saville in The Independent (4★) found the production ‘full of magical transformations, sensory splendour and technical ingenuity.’ For her, Ms Snook conveys ‘raw, human misery, only heightened by the artifice that surrounds it.’ Alice Saville Sam Marlowe in The Stage (4★) described it as ‘a riot of language, images and ideas, a full-on sensual assault’. ‘Snook’s phenomenal turn,’ she said, ‘involves her portraying not just Dorian, but all the other characters too, often simultaneously – a split-second technical feat achieved with a kaleidoscopic use of live and recorded video, designed by David Bergman.’

After all of the above, Clive Davis seems almost miserly with his 3 star review in The Times (3★). While admitting that he ‘can’t help marvelling at the energy and concentration she (Sarah Snook) displays’, he told us: The production is ‘wallowing in camp’…’with next to no variation in tone: for all the bravura camerawork, we might as well be watching the Victorian equivalent of Acorn Antiques.’ He concluded: ‘This show may be a glimpse of the technological future of theatre, but as storytelling, it’s old hat.’

Average rating 4.4★

Value Rating 36 (Value rating is the Average critic rating divided by the most common Stalls ticket price. In theory, this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 40 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60. This rating is based on opening night prices- theatres may raise or lower prices during the run.)

The Picture of Dorian Gray is at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 11 May 2024. Buy tickets direct here

If you’ve seen The Picture of Dorian Gray you are welcome to add your review and rating below (but we ask that you keep it relevant and polite)

Reviews Roundup: The Hills Of California 3.8★

Harold Pinter Theatre, London

Laura Donnelly and Lara McDonnell in The Hills of California. Photo: Mark Douet

After his huge successes with Jerusalem and The Ferryman, there are inevitably high hopes for a new play by Jez Butterworth, especially with Sam Mendes, who directed The Ferryman, at the helm. If The Hills Of California didn’t quite live up to those expectations for the majority of the critics, it nevertheless garnered reviews most playwrights and producers would be more than happy with. Far from the West Coast of the USA, the story is set in a guest house in Blackpool. Four daughters assemble around their dying mother back in the long, hot summer of 1976. Grief and rivalry infuse the siblings’ relationships.  The drama swings between that time and their youth when their mother was grooming them to be another Andrews Sisters. For many of the critics, it was a fine play but too slow. The ending provided an unsatisfactory denouement for quite a few of them, although, for the Telegraph, it ‘worked like a dream’.

The only heavyweight critic to give a five star review was Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times (5★) who said: ‘The playwright catches again the quality of a time and place and its significance as metaphor… (but) what makes his plays is something more elusive: an ability to bend and stretch time, to show how the past can inhabit the present, how the myths we inherit and those we invent shape our experience of reality.’ She called it a ‘rich, funny, brilliantly layered drama about lost dreams, trampled hopes, parenting and letting go.’ and praised the way ‘Sam Mendes’ beautifully paced production surfs time, place and mood and is gloriously acted.’

The Radio Times (4★) reviewer Olivia Garrett said that, following their collaboration on The Ferryman, Butterworth and Mendes ‘have once again brought us a gorgeously textured performance that drifts across time and tone – going from nostalgic wry humour in one moment to brutal unprocessed emotion in the next.’ ‘Overall, The Hills of California is a strong and deftly handled exploration of death and bereavement with the potential to resonate with anyone,’ she summed up. Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out (4★) felt it ‘clears the bar’ set by Jerusalem: ‘Butterworth writes – and Mendes directs – with a deft, novelistic fluidity.’ However, the climax lets it down, he said, declaring that it ends in a ‘stumble’.’While his female characters are wonderful, what actually happens to them can feel cliche-bound, based on a distinctly pulpy view of the female experience,’ he explained. However, ‘The performances are uniformly tremendous.’

‘Butterworth is ingenious about the way fantasy traps and inspires,’ said Susannah Clapp in The Observer (4★). She found ‘Sam Mendes’s production is motored by fine acting’. Aliya Al-Hassan at Broadway World (4★) called it a ‘bittersweet and bitingly funny new play’. It is, she said, ‘close to greatness. It is thought-provoking, heartbreaking and multi-layered, but it could be exceptional.’

Sarah Crompton at Whats On Stage (4★) found it ‘a slow smoulder rather than a fierce blaze, shooting off thought-provoking sparks without ever fully illuminating its themes. I had the odd sense of the playwright standing outside his creation, straining every sinew to make it come to life, willing it to succeed.’ Like a number of reviewers, she brings attention to ‘Laura Donnelly’s charismatic, chiselled performance’.

For Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph (4★) ‘It’s smart, ambitious fare, no question, the cast serve it with aplomb, and the final half-hour works like a dream. But, even so, it’s an uphill slog to get there, and we’re some distance from the hallowed triumph of Jerusalem.’ He decided it ‘needs a trim and a less languid pace’. Fiona Mountford for the i (4★) had the same thought: ‘Butterworth’s writing is resonant but proceeds at far too languid a pace’. She had a further reservation: ‘I remain unconvinced by the pivotal plot moment and the explanations, or lack thereof.’ Yet, ‘Despite the play’s flaws, the West End is infinitely the richer for its presence.’

Nick Curtis in The Standard (4★), decided (very precisely) that it was ‘nine-tenths of a superb’ play. He said: ‘this is a witty, closely observed study of family relations and of the cycle of birth and death, impeccably performed by both young and older cast members and expertly conducted by Mendes: even the singing is impressive.’ His conclusion is that The Hills of California is ‘on a par with Butterworth’s Jerusalem and The Ferryman – a trio of flawed masterpieces.’

The ‘flawed masterpiece’ theme was also to be found in Stefan Kyriazis’ review in The Express (4★): ‘a slightly flawed Butterworth performed by artists of this calibre is still worth ten of so many other shows out there.’ Part of his reservation came from his frustration with the climax: ‘the pacing is off, and the script falters frustratingly in the strangely sentimental final scene.’ On the plus side, he called it a ‘gloriously written tragicomedy’, saying ‘Nobody writes percussive dialogue like Butterworth. Hilarious grenades laced with affection or fury pepper over pathos and pain, mirth and melancholy. Colloquial rhythms ring so true you can taste the time and place.’

Clive Davis in The Times (3★) was another critic who didn’t like the ending, calling it ‘a muddled and wildly implausible final act’. Neverthless, he  thought it ‘comes tantalisingly close to sweeping us off our feet.’ ‘Laura Donnelly’s hypnotic central performance…will certainly linger in the memory,’ he said, but ‘director Sam Mendes hasn’t been able to impose enough discipline on Butterworth’s penchant for baggy, poetic speeches.’ The Guardian’s (3★) Arifa Akbar also used the ‘b’ word: ‘an uneven drama, baggy in its pacing’. Cuttingly, she concluded: ‘Rob Howell’s gorgeous set, dominated by a beautiful staircase, has heights and depths that the play itself does not reach.’

‘Director Sam Mendes’s production brings out all the gentle humour in Butterworth’s play’ said Alice Saville in The Independent (3★) but there’s a ‘lack of an intellectual underpinning (that) feels more visible in a play that lacks the pace and tautness of Butterworth’s writing at its best.’ She asks: ‘is there gold in them thar hills?’  Her answer: ‘Not this time, alas.’

Average critic rating (out of 5) 3.8★

Value rating  39 (Value rating is achieved by dividing the Average critic rating by the most common ticket price in the Stalls and Circle. In theory this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 30 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60. This rating is further complicated by theatres raising or lowering the prices during the run depending on sales.)

‘The Hills of California’ can be seen at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 15 June 2024. Click here to buy direct

If you’ve seen The Hills of California, please add your review and rating below (but please keep it relevant and polite)

Reviews Roundup: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy 4.6★

Garrick Theatre, London

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide… Photo: Johan Persson

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy by Ryan Calais Cameron started life at the small New Diorama Theatre (also the starting point for Operation Mincemeat) before transferring to the Royal Court in 2021 and then to the West End in  April 2023. In essence, six young Black men discuss their experiences of growing up, fathers, masculinity, knife crime, sex, and the challenges of society’s expectations. But there’s a great deal more to it, as the reviewers told us.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

Writing in The Sunday Times (5★), Dominic Maxwell called it ‘staggeringly good’ and praised the new cast saying he couldn’t ‘believe anyone could perform this with greater wit, tenderness, physicality and musicality’. He ends with more adulatory adjectives: ‘angry and mournful and sexy and serious and funny and freeing and a modern masterpiece’. In a word, Abbie Grundy for Broadway World (5★) summed it up as ‘fantastic.’ He had much more to say: ‘Pacey and poignant, Ryan Calais Cameron’s script artfully dissects issues of racism, mental health, sexual assault, and gang culture.’ He praised ‘each actor on stage giving an extraordinary performance’ and concluded that it is ‘a stunning piece of theatre – bitingly relevant, endlessly crucial, and deeply moving.’ Calling it ‘Seriously special’, Claire Allfree in The Telegraph (5★) talked about ‘this play’s startling ability to break down every identity trope it sets up.’ She continued: ‘this revival is supremely well directed by Calais Cameron…who beautifully controls the play’s melodic flow and hair-pin bend switches between humour and pathos, bravado and confession, break-out dance sequences and loose-limbed naturalism.’  Jane Edwardes on The Arts Desk (5★) was on her third visit to the show- ‘each time I’ve been struck by how the piece manages to be both raucous and touching at the same time.’ She was another critic who had nothing but praise for the new cast, saying they ‘can dance with all the dazzling discipline and unity of a well-trained chorus, but when they talk, they reveal that their attitudes and experiences are very different.’

Simon Thomson for CityAM (4★) said its ‘dynamic blend of dance and poetic language elevates what could otherwise have been a static play, weighed down by substantial ideas’ and gave credit to ‘the valuable contribution of movement director and choreographer Theophilus O Bailey’. ‘The new ensemble cast’ he observed, ‘is subtle and protean…they have ample opportunities to sing, resulting in moments of true beauty.’ He concluded with a clarion call: ‘Entertaining and enlightening, hopeful and humane, this production isn’t just For Black Boys.’

Reviews for the earlier West End run included this from Anya Ryan in The Guardian (5★) who called it ‘powerful and deeply moving’ written in ‘crucial, pressing poetry.’ ‘The vibrant spirit of the play is hard to resist,’ she said.

Alice Saville writing for Time Out (4★) talked about ‘a style that’s non-linear, raw, spontaneous, and massively fun to watch’ and ended ‘This is seriously powerful theatre, the kind that feels like an event, a statement, and a party all at once.’ Sarah Crompton at Whats On Stage (4★) said ‘it adds up to a remarkable evening, its themes enlivened and illuminated by laughter and affection. It is quite something.’ Natasha Tripney in The Stage (4★) praised ‘The superb movement direction by Theophilus O Bailey makes the show as physically vigorous as it is emotionally rich.’ She said: ‘the abiding feeling is one of joy.’

Average critic rating (out of 5) 4.6★

Value rating  84 (Value rating is the Average critic rating divided by the most common Stalls/Circle ticket price. In theory this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 30 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60.)

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy can be seen at Garrick Theatre until 4 May 2024. Click here to buy tickets directly from the theatre

If you’ve seen For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy, you are welcome to add your review and rating below (but please keep it relevant and polite)

 

 

 

Reviews Roundup: Sister Act The Musical 3.4★

Dominion Theatre

Sister Act The Musical. Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

A gangster’s moll sees a crime and goes into a witness protection in a nunnery where she teaches the nun choir to sing, and generally enjoy life a little more. The production has toured and played the Eventim Apollo in 2022 which is where it was reviewed by the London-based critics.  Beverley Knight returns in what we inevitably think of as the Whoopi Goldberg role until 8 June 2024 when she is succeeded by Alexandra Burke. This roundup will be revised after the official opening night of the latest run. The critics previously loved Beverley Knight’s singing, although some had reservations about her skill as a comic actor. Other well-liked members of the previous cast return for the current run including Clive Rowe and Lesley Joseph. Ruth Jones is a newcomer as the Mother Superior.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]
Adam Bloodworth in CityAM (5) awarded the first 5 star review, calling it ‘simple, straightforward fun channelled through a production that is so precision-tooled that every moment becomes either a huge laugh or a visual spectacular.’
In her review of the opening night of the current run, Marianka Swain in The Telegraph (4) said ‘the Dominion Theatre is a perfect fit for Bill Buckhurst’s warm hug of a production.’ She picked out newcomer Ruth Jones playing the Mother Superior as ‘another reason to make a bee-line for Sister Act tickets.’ She concluded: ‘Watching the sisters in full flow, boogieing away in rainbow-sequinned habits, is sheer theatrical bliss.’
Franco Milazzo st Broadway World (4) also welcomes Ruth Jones: ‘What the Gavin and Stacey star lacks in lung power, she more than makes up for in sheer charisma.’ He also pays tribute to ‘a sterling cast, Menken and Slater’s songs and Morgan Large’s ingenious set.’
The earlier reviews were generally appreciative of the feel-good nature of the musical without being carried away by it. There were some notable exceptions. ‘This revival is heavenly’ said Nicole Vassell in The Independent (5★).  ‘Alan Menken and Glenn Slater’s uplifting score is excellent,’ she wrote, and concluded: ‘the show’s an irresistibly great time.’ Neil Norman writing in The Express (4★) stated: ‘It puts a smile on your face that refuses to leave.’ About Beverley Knight, he said: ‘Not only is that voice goosebumpingly glorious, she has … impressive comedy chops.’ He also liked ‘Morgan Large’s simple but effective stained glass set design.’  Alex Wood for Whats On Stage (4★) agreed about Large’s ‘glittery menagerie of set pieces.’ He had mixed feelings about the songs: ‘“Fabulous, Baby!”, “Take Me to Heaven” and “Raise Your Voice” are all veritable ear-worms’ but ‘For every “Raise Your Voice” there’s a much more forgettable number.’ However, he was bowled over by ‘a deluge of sugar-rush sentimentality and spirited vim’ and concluded: ‘The revival lands squarely in the “feel-good and proud of it” camp.’
Andrzej Lukowski’s reaction in Time Out (3★) was more typical: While praising Beverley Knight – ‘she is an extraordinary singer’, he damned the first half with faint praise – ‘It’s a sturdy enough comic romp ‘- and damned the second half with no praise- ‘bloated and ponderous.’ It’s ‘an okay musical, he concluded.  Natasha Tripney in The Stage (3★) took an opposite view of the musical’s progression: ‘Bill Buckhurst’s production takes a while warming up in the first half…but the pacing and energy levels improve significantly in the second half.’ She agreed about Beverley Knight, saying ‘She brings vocal heft and requisite presence to the role.’
Ryan Gilbey in The Guardian (3★) described Beverley Knight as ‘full-throated, comically twitchy’ but dismissed the plot, saying it ‘could be scratched on a sacramental wafer’. While he found  ‘inspiration flags’, he conceded ‘good humour sees it through.’ The Standard‘s Nick Curtis (3★) enjoyed Beverley Knight’s ‘storming voice and personality’, but like most of the others thought ‘The plot is reduced to a skeletal framework on which to hang musical or comic set pieces’. He wasn’t too keen on Alan Menken’s score either, describing it as ‘only occasionally soulful and never funky’.
Clive Davis writing in The Times (3★) admitted ‘There are some inspired hot gospel belters’. Otherwise he was unimpressed: ‘The script, though, slips into automatic pilot after an engaging first act’, and ‘Morgan Large’s set design is a little basic’. The Telegraph‘s Dominic Cavendish (3★) decided: ‘The joy is preordained but it’s joy all the same.’

Average critic rating (out of 5) 3.4★

Value rating  38 (Value rating is the Average critic rating divided by the most common Stalls/Circle ticket price. In theory this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 30 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60. This rating is based on opening night prices- theatres may raise or lower prices during the run.)

Sister Act The Musical can be seen at the Dominion Theatre London until 31 August 2024. Buy tickets directly from the theatre here

If you’ve seen Sister Act The Musical, you are welcome to add your review and rating below (but please keep it relevant and polite)

Reviews roundup: Billy Crudup in Harry Clarke 2.8★

Billy Crudup in Harry Clarke. Photo: Carol Rosegg

The American star of The Morning Show Billy Crudup makes his West End debut in a monologue written by David Cale which has already been a hit in the US. Mr Crudup plays among other characters a shy gay American who, as well as pretending to be English himself, invents an alter ego, a Cockney ‘geezer’ called Harry Clarke.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

Clive Davis in The Times (4★) described the play as ‘a shaggy dog story, and a thoroughly entertaining one.’ ‘Leigh Silverman’s direction is tightly observed yet unobtrusive’,’ he went on to describe Crudup as ‘utterly hypnotic’. ‘It’s very funny indeed,’ agreed Sarah Crompton at Whats On Stage (4★). She continued: ‘It’s a real tour de force of storytelling and performance, an old-fashioned pleasure with a modern twist.’

While feeling that the playwright could dig deeper into the psychological issues he raises,’ Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times (3★) praises ‘the slippery skill of Cale’s writing’ as well as ‘Crudup’s consummate, magnetic performance’. Chris Wiegand in The Guardian (3★) found ‘the script lacks the motor of a thriller and there is little at stake in this slight story’ but praised ‘Crudup’s vocal skill’. The Stage‘s Sam Marlowe (3★) took a similar view: ‘Leigh Silverman’s production is smartly paced, with a bravura solo performance from … Billy Crudup. But the play is effectively a series of Escher staircases leading nowhere, ingenious but inconsequential.’ Some reviewers (see below) criticised Crudup’s way of speaking English accents but for Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out (3★), the plot is such that ‘it makes sense that he sounds like an American doing an English accent’. He concluded: ‘it’s trashily entertaining and Crudup is magnetic.’ Billy Crudup gives ‘ a truly riveting performance’ agrees Claire Allfree in The Telegraph (3★) but, as to the play, ‘while, with its high-gloss blend of excess, madness and fabulous wealth, it flirts with the trappings of a thriller, there is precious little actually at stake’.

Fiona Mountford in the i (2★), advising her readers to save their money, criticised Billy Crudup: ‘a self-satisfied and showboating sort of performance’ in which his English accent ‘makes him sound like a strangulated minor royal’. She didn’t like the play much either: ‘the script, full of holes where plot logic ought to be, offers almost no sense of jeopardy.’ The Independent‘s Alice Saville (2★) agreed about the English accent: ‘his tones drifting from East End to Essex to New York like the world’s most incompetent Uber driver.’ The script disappointed her too: ‘the promised darkness never quite arrives, and nor does any kind of underlying message or shock twist.’ The Standard‘s Nick Curtis (2★) also criticised the script: Cale’s play, he said, ‘has almost no psychological depth’ but ‘Never mind the thin, shaggy dog-story of a plot: this monologue is all about Billy Crudup’s mercurial, showboating performance.’ He did agree with his fellow two star reviewers that Billy Crudup’s English accents were ‘terrible’ but, he added, ‘It doesn’t really matter.’ The theme continues over at Broadway World (2★) where Alexander Cohen criticises ‘a meandering script’ and was thankful for Billy Crudup: ‘Without him the show would crumble.’

Average critic rating (out of 5) 2.8★

Value rating 37 (Value rating is the Average critic rating divided by the most common Stalls/Circle ticket price. In theory this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 30 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60. This rating is based on opening night prices- theatres may raise or lower prices during the run.)

Harry Clarke can be seen at the Ambassadors Theatre London until 11 May 2024. Buy tickets directly from the theatre here

If you’ve seen Harry Clarke, you are welcome to add your review and rating below (but please keep it relevant and polite)

 

Reviews Roundup: Michael Sheen in Nye 3.4★

Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, London

Michael Sheen in Nye. Photo: Johan Persson

Nye tells the life story of the Labour minister who drove the formation of the NHS. While most reviewers plumped for 3 or 4 stars, there was one 5 and one 2 star review. In the title role is Michael Sheen who received widespread praise. He performs the show in pyjamas as a patient dying in an NHS hospital. Nye’s delirious moments in which he remembers a fantasy version of his past reminded quite a few reviewers of The Singing Detective. Director Rufus Norris‘s swansong production as Artistic Director of the National Theatre was also warmly received, as was Vicki Mortimer’s set. A number of critics were disappointed with Tim Price‘s script.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

However, not Fiona Mountford reviewing in the i (5★). She complimented ‘Tim Price’s satisfying meaty, yet never less than nimble study’.

Sarah Hemming at the Financial Times (4✭) described Nye as ‘unashamedly, a play about principle, passion and compassion, driven by a fantastic ensemble and an electrifying performance from Sheen. ‘ She continued: ‘Director Rufus Norris stages all this with wit and drive.’ For Clive Davis in The Times (4★), ‘Sheen burns with passion’ adding ‘His charisma fills the gaps in the script.’  Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph (4★) was also taken with  Michael Sheen’s performance, saying “Sheen is in his element here…by turns down to earth and messianic, tender and full of clenched tenacity.’ Gary Naylor for Broadway World (4) had reservations- ‘flawed, sprawling and unmanageable – but when it works, it’s magnificent.’ Michael Sheen is given considerable credit: ‘carrying the play and the man with equal passion’  Mr Naylor also picked out ‘Jon Driscoll’s video work is as good as I’ve seen in a theatre, a tour de force.’ Neil Norman’s review in the Express (4★) described Nye as ‘a moving but unsentimental portrait of the man who changed British healthcare’.

Time Out‘s Andrzej Lukowski (3★) found it hard to get excited at what he called ‘a fairly conventional drama, jumbled up’ but was compensated by the fact that: ‘Sheen is a delight’  and ‘if the whole isn’t quite there, most of the individual scenes are scintillating.’ Alice Saville in The Independent (3★) had a similar thought: ‘a bit of a tired theatrical set-up, to have an ageing famous figure reliving his life in convenient vignettes,’ but she said: ‘Norris’s direction keeps things nimble and strange.’ Nick Curtis in the Evening Standard (3★) was unimpressed by the ‘lumpy and obvious script.’ ‘the narrative is too long-reaching and schematic’ complained Arifa Akbar in The Guardian (3★). Possibly alone, she had reservations about Michael Sheen’s performance: ‘He brings a curious fey playfulness and vulnerability but does not plumb the depths of his commanding character.’

While Sarah Crompton at Whats On Stage (3★) was impressed by ‘a central performance from Michael Sheen of charm and charisma, and an energetic and stylish production from Rufus Norris’. She was less happy with the script:  ‘It’s engaging, never less than interesting, but it doesn’t always find the balance between great gobbets of historical information and reaching the heart of the man and his vision.’  For Sam Marlowe in The Stage (3★) ‘It’s crammed with information but remains surface-skimming’ although she did think: ‘Michael Sheen is a terrifically engaging Bevan’ and ‘Vicki Mortimer’s set is a kaleidoscope of green hospital screens’. The Sunday Times‘ Dominic Maxwell (3★) said it felt like ‘an artfully staged Wikipedia entry,’ commenting  ‘while Nye gives its man some good lines, it goes light on big set pieces’. He didn’t feel ‘as if we’ve done more than traced the surface of an extraordinary man and his nation-changing achievement.’ Nevertheless, he concedes ‘there’s good stuff in Nye, and Sheen is tremendous’.

Susannah Clapp in The Observer (2★) called it ‘a wasted opportunity’. She said ‘the form is fractured, giddy’ and ‘interesting nuggets become mechanical explanation’. However she complimented Michael Sheen as ‘fiery’.

Average critic rating 3.4★

Value rating  38 (Value rating is the Average critic rating divided by the most common Stalls ticket price. In theory this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 30 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60. This rating is based on opening night prices- theatres may raise or lower prices during the run.)

Nye can be seen at the National Theatre until May 11 (Tickets directly from the theatre here) then May 18-June 1 at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, (Tickets directly from the theatre here). National Theatre Live cinema screenings from March 23 (Details at nye.ntlive.com)

Read Paul Seven’s 5 star review here

If you’ve seen Nye, you are welcome to add your review and rating below (but please keep it relevant and polite)

 

Reviews Roundup: Nachtland 3.2★

Young Vic

Nachtland. Photo: Ellie Kurttz

A painting by Adolf Hitler discovered in an attic leads to debate, controversy and comedy in Marius von Mayenburg’s Nachtland. It’s directed by Patrick Marber and the cast includes Dorothea Myer-Bennett, John Heffernan, Angus Wright and Jane Horrocks 

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

The Independent’s Alice Saville (4★) enjoyed this ‘destabilising, endlessly fascinating new play’ with its ‘uniformly strong cast’. David Jays in The Guardian (4★) praised ‘Maja Zade’s spicy translation and … an excellent cast’. He concluded: it ‘doesn’t go deep, but prods modern Germany’s sore spots with provoking vigour.’ ‘The hit the Young Vic needs’ said the headline to Dominic Cavendish’s review in the Daily Telegraph (4★) in which he called it ‘a canny, if not fully achieved dark comedy.’ ‘Downright funny and disturbing in equal measure’ said John Nathan in the Jewish Chronicle (4★)

Susannah Clapp in The Observer (3★) commented ‘Marber’s production smartly swerves between naturalism and surreal derangement – raising the question of whether the two modes are actually distinct’. She was concerned that ‘Von Mayenburg makes saying the unsayable look too easy.’ Sarah Hemming reviewing for the Financial Times (3★) thought ‘The characters are sketchy, easy to dislike (would they be more unsettling if pleasant?) and sometimes too bluntly become mouthpieces for points of view’ but Patrick Marber and ‘his excellent cast are very good at delivering the unnerving black comedy’. ‘There are excellent performances’ said Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out (3★), ‘Heffernan is sublimely funny… Wright and Horrocks are gloriously weird’ but ‘but it often feels like the cast and Marber are more interested in being funny than the text is.’

The script came in for some criticism. The Stage’s Dave Fargnoli (3★) thought ‘Patrick Marber directs with a heightened, tongue-in-cheek tone’ but ‘cannot energise its overlong, artificial conversations.’ Theo Bosanquet on Whats On Stage (3★) said: ‘At times it can feel overly-arch, like agitprop, and as drama, it doesn’t really hold together.’ Adam Bloodworth at City AM (3★) noted: ‘It’s all slightly over-stuffed with ideas, both physical and thematic, and by the end there’s a slightly soupy feel.

‘For Nick Curtis in the Evening Standard (2★) it was ‘a disappointment’ explaining ‘After 100 minutes the play fizzles out, unresolved.’ Dominic Maxell in The Times (2★) was unimpressed: ‘For all the excellence of the cast, though, and for all the stripped-back poise of Patrick Marber’s production and Anna Fleischle’s thrust-stage design, I could never surrender to it as a piece of storytelling.’

Nachtland is at the Young Vic until 20 April 2024.  Click here to buy tickets directly from the theatre

Average critic rating 3★

Value rating 57 (Value rating is achieved by dividing the Average critic rating by the top price, excluding premium prices)

If you’ve seen Nachtland, you are welcome to add your review and rating (but please keep it relevant and polite)

Reviews Round-Up: Standing At The in Sky’s Edge 4.3★

Gillian Lynne Theatre

Standing At The Sky’s Edge. Photo: Brinkhoff Moegenburg

The superlatives have been brought out, dusted and polished once again for Standing At The Sky’s Edge, the musical about three generations of residents in Sheffield’s Park Hill Estate, which has now transferred to the West End. Directed by Robert Hastie, Chris Bush’s book augmented by Richard Hawley’s songs and performed by an impressive cast has captured the hearts of nearly all the critics.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

Stefan Kyriazis in the Daily Express 5★ repeated his previously expressed view that ‘this is the greatest new British musical for years.’  ‘Chris Bush’s note-perfect script tugs at heartstrings as much as it tickles funny bones,’ he said, and ‘Hawley’s exquisite compositions through the years are more like living poetry.’ As if that weren’t enough, he adds: ‘The entire cast is superb’. ‘Prepare to fall in love’ said Franco Milazzo in BroadwayWorld (5★) ‘Robert Hastie’s direction earns every laugh and tear ‘ he enthused, calling the show ‘an epic musical for (and about) the ages’.
Calling it ‘unmissable’, Alex Wood at Whats On Stage (5★)said: ‘It stands as a shining tribute to the combined power of both popular music and stage storytelling, and subsidised and commercial theatre.’
Caroline McGinn in Time Out (5★) was ‘blown away by the emotional power of this show’, dubbing it ‘an instant classic’. She picked out the female leads for special mention: ‘Rachael Wooding, Laura Pitt-Pulford and Elizabeth Ayodele and especially Lauryn Redding will break your heart with lungs of steel’. She summed up: ‘joy, lust, fear, sadness, despair, are crafted into an emotional edifice which stands nearly as tall as the place that inspired it.’
Dominic Cavendish in the Daily Telegraph (4★) praised Richard Hawley’s beautiful songs full of melancholy, tenderness, warmth and yearning, hammering at the door of your heart, demanding to be let in.’ He concluded: ‘It’s hard to feel anything other than enriched and often deeply moved by it. It offers rare intellectual and emotional ambition, songs that should stay with you, and sustain you, over a lifetime; and frankly deserves to be a huge hit.’ Dominic Maxwell in The Sunday Times (4⭐️) said: ‘it adds up to something special. I was more than happy to spend almost three hours letting Standing at the Sky’s Edge work its tender magic on me.’
Dave Fargnoli in The Stage (3★) was less carried away but still found it ‘a bittersweet, multigenerational epic’ in which ‘the big ensemble numbers … carry the production along.’ It was left to Clive Davis in The Times (3★) to bring the high-rise enthusiasm down to earth: ‘the script sometimes resembles a conscientiously assembled checklist of social issues’ the songs ‘sometimes seem to have been inserted into the action almost at random’
Standing At Sky’s Edge continues at Gillian Lynne Theatre until 3 August 2024.

Click here to buy tickets directly.

Average rating: 4.3★

Value Rating 51  (Value rating is the Average critic rating divided by the most common Stalls/Circle ticket price on a Saturday evening. In theory, this means the higher the score the better value but, because of price variations, a West End show could be excellent value if it scores above 30 while an off-West End show may need to score above 60. This rating is based on opening night prices- theatres may raise or lower prices during the run.)

Read Paul Seven’s review 

If you’ve seen Standing at the Sky’s Edge, you are welcome to add your review and rating (but please keep it relevant and polite)

Reviews Round-up: Keeley Hawes in The Human Body 3.1★

Donmar Warehouse

Keeley Hawes and Jack Davenport in The Human Body. Photo: Marc Brenner

The Human Body is Lucy Kirkwood’s latest play following such successes as The Witches, The Children, Mosquitoes and Chimerica. Starring Keeley Hawes and Jack Davenport, both returning to the stage after a long gap, it tells the story of the birth of the NHS at a local level, wrapped up in a Brief Encounter-style romance. Directors Michael Longhurst and Ann Yee incorporate film into the production, which didn’t please everybody. The two stars were universally loved by the critics but some found the play unfocussed.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls, and therefore may not be accessible]

Arifa Akbar in The Guardian (3★) wasn’t keen on the use of film but thought ‘Kirkwood’s script crackles with unspoken desires, disappointments, yearning and some fantastic humour’. Nick Curtis in the Evening Standard (3★) describes the production as ‘engrossing but meandering’, however ‘Davenport is very funny in it and Hawes is superb.’ The Stage‘s Sam Marlowe (3★) agreed calling the play ‘disjointed’ but saying it was ‘beautifully acted’. For Time Out‘s Andrzej Lukowski (3★) too, ‘the cast sells it’. Otherwise he is lukewarm in his praise of ‘a heartfelt but old-fashioned drama’. Dominic Cavendish in the Daily Telegraph (3★) felt it ‘urgently needs a scalpel to cut back excess flab’ but concurs with the general opinion that ‘There’s no faulting the leads’. Tim Bano in The Independent (3★) agreed about the acting (‘Hawes dazzles’) and about the need for some cutting, saying the play was a ‘fabulously rich piece of writing’ but ‘bogged down by an overstuffed production’.

Not even the acting saved the evening for Clive Davis in The Times (2★). Calling it a ‘sub-standard play’, he asks: ‘Is it a staid, semi-documentary celebration…Or is it a clever-clever meta-romance?’ before concluding ‘It fails on both counts.’

Lucy Kirkwood can take comfort from Sarah Crompton at WhatsOnStage (4★) who was forgiving of any flaws: ‘Kirkwood is such a wonderful writer and Longhurst…and Yee such confident, fluent co-directors that the occasional bagginess doesn’t matter.’ She too loved the acting: ‘The performances are a joy.’ It pressed all the right buttons for Cindy Marcolina at Broadway World (4★). She thought it was ‘a gripping comic drama’ and liked how a ‘deft use of camera feeds combines with a genre-hopping and tone-shifting chameleonic script to make The Human Body a feat of movement direction.’ She concluded: ‘this is a show to see.’

The Human Body is at Donmar Warehouse, London, until 13 April. Click here to buy tickets directly from the theatre.

Critics’ Average Rating 3.1★

Value Rating 52 (Value rating is achieved by dividing the Average review rating by the top price excluding premium prices)

Click here to read Paul Seven Lewis’s review

If you’ve seen The Human Body, you are welcome to add your review and rating below (but please keep it relevant and polite)

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