Sophie Okonedo wows the critics

Donmar Warehouse

Sophie Okonedo wowed the critics with her performance as the bored rich wife Natalya who lusts after her young son’s tutor (‘wonderfully febrile and totally compelling’ WhatsOnStage). All the cast were praised. Brian Friel’s adaptation of Turgenyev’s 19th century classic has long been admired for cutting its length, providing scintillating dialogue, and balancing comedy with tragedy (‘a universal story of pained love and marriage’ Guardian). Lyndsey Turner’s production was praised for its light touch (‘beautifully executed’ FT).

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Financial Times’ Sarah Hemming said: ‘it’s very funny, astute and psychologically true about human beings’ expertise in rendering themselves miserable — particularly in Brian Friel’s mischievously spry 1992 translation and Lyndsey Turner’s beautifully executed production.’ Having lauded Sophie Okonedo, she pointed out: ‘it’s the rich ensemble work that really makes this production. Every character is deftly drawn and precisely rooted — funny, but real, so we feel their pain.’

Dave Fargnoli of The Stage declared: ‘Director Lyndsey Turner handles the piece skilfully, allowing events to unfold at a rhythm just slow enough to drive home the stiflingly dull state of the characters’ lives without becoming tedious, and with enough crackling tension and humour to remain utterly engaging.’

The Independent’s Alice Saville commented: ‘Turgenev’s A Month in the Country is an unwieldy play, originally running for over four hours, and never quite descending into the proto-Chekhovian emotional devastation it seems to promise. Here, Turner prunes it into a witty, approachable form – but leaves all its thorns intact.’

WhatsOnStage’s Sarah Crompton referred to ‘Okonedo’s wonderfully febrile and totally compelling portrayal of Natalya Petrovna, dissatisfied wife of a rich man Arkady, whose life and that of those around her is utterly unmoored by her sudden passion for her son’s young tutor Aleksey (Patrick Gibson). She is both a tragic figure, failed by her circumstances, and a comic narcissist, whose desire becomes the focus of her entire life.’ She concluded: ‘It’s a gloriously rich play, wonderfully realised in a production that holds its contradictions gently in its hands and just lets its subtleties reveal themselves. It ends on a surprising note of tenderness. A gem.’

The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar said Brian Friel’s ‘sparkling script “after Turgenev” is spun so delicately that it appears both of its time and a universal story of pained love and marriage.’ She went on: ‘The fine line between humour and hurt is as delicately trodden by director Lyndsey Turner and an able ensemble’. She informed us: ‘Lesley Travers’ stunning set design covers the stage with a glass box filled with foliage’.

Cindy Marcolina for BroadwayWorld described the effectiveness of the production: ‘Ennui, the potential of a young lover, and plenty of jealousy make Brian Friel’s take on Ivan Turgenev’s play the perfect end-of-summer treat. Friel succeeds in maintaining the classic idle nature of Russian drama, and Lyndsey Turner turns it into a delicious slow burn.’ Her analysis continued: ‘The individual dynamics between Okonedo and the other actors prop up the narrative. While nothing extravagant happens, the appeal of the production is deeply rooted in the correlation between the writing and the performances.’

The Times’ Clive Davis liked the production: ‘there’s a constant undercurrent of humour in Lyndsey Turner’s production … Yes, you can still see how Turgenev provides a template for Chekhov’s sketches of unfulfilled lives, but the shafts of humour keep the shadows at bay.’ He had an unfounded concern: ‘Could the 58-year-old Okonedo be a little too old to be playing Natalya? I thought so at first, but her subtle portrayal of a woman consumed by small acts of narcissism won me over.’ He also praised other actors: ‘Casting the ebullient Daniel Rigby as Shpigelsky, the doctor from lowly origins who uses clumsy jokes as a way of masking his hatred of his superiors, is a clever choice.’

The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish commented on Natalya: ‘what’s riveting about the characterisation – and Okonedo’s portrayal – is the sense that, minute by minute, even in lightly off-hand exchanges, she’s tussling with powerful inner forces: her sense of self, her social conditioning, desires that elude easy fulfilment.’ He found: ‘it all rings bracingly true‘.

Helen Hawkins at The Arts Desk detected a touch of Katharine Hepburn: ‘director Lyndsey Turner has dressed up this 1992 adaptation of the play by Brian Friel as something closer to a period screwball comedy.’ She found: ‘Okonedo’s snippy-snappy handling of dialogue and on-a-dime mood swings are razor-sharp, and she and the rest of the uniformly fine cast land this well oiled comedy impressively.’

The Standard’s Nick Curtis thought about the set: ‘Designer Leslie Travers accentuates the staginess by periodically dropping a foliage-stuffed glass box onto his idyllic, grassy set, emphasising that the characters are trapped by their emotions. It’s great fun: sheer proximity to the actors at the Donmar makes it feel as if we’re spying on them from a thicket.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Only Julia Rank of LondonTheatre broke ranks with the other critics. She thought: ‘Okonedo, unfortunately, doesn’t seem quite right for the role; she has too much natural gravitas, and the coquettishness feels forced.’

Critics’ average rating 3.9⭑

A Month In The Country can be seen at The Donmar Warehouse Theatre until 3 October 2026  Tickets from donmarwarehouse.com

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