Complex and long but compelling story of toxic masculinity

Almeida theatre

We often talk about mixed reviews but rarely are they so diametrically opposed as the 5 and 1 star scores that greeted Romans: A Novel. Alice Birch’s tale of the roots of toxic masculinity, told through the stories of three brothers and a whole century of events, managed to grip some critics but completely repel one. The fans liked her complex expressive writing and were interested in what she had to say, but.. well, see the extract below from the one star review in The Times for an alternative viewpoint. The actors were universally praised.

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

5 stars ★★★★★

Lucinda Everett for WhatsOnStage explained: ‘this is no shaming takedown; there are no cheap shots at manhood here (OK, maybe a few). It’s something much more useful. An era-spanning, heart-shattering exploration of the male experience – so often drenched in loneliness, repression and impossible expectation’. She was full of praise for the author: ‘Few working playwrights can match her instinct for story and form, but her mastery of language is almost mystifying. The stylistically kaleidoscopic script is also rhythmic, poetic, fiercely funny, deeply rooted in character, and at times literally breathtaking; it winds with brute emotional force.’

Katie Kirkpatrick for BroadwayWorld held it in high regard: ‘With an ever-shifting form, an array of subtle references, and an intricate, thought-provoking script, this is a play that many will find difficult and impenetrable. At its core, however, it’s a truly perceptive piece that understands masculinity like little else.’ She insisted : ‘It’s a play that really has something to say, beyond the standard ‘men are bad’ – Birch explores loneliness, honour, and a feeling of deserving more that really confronts our present moment’.

4 stars ★★★★

David Jays for The Guardian wrote: ‘Romans is a fascinating, upsetting project, and Sam Pritchard’s alert production quivers with tension under Lee Curran’s sculptural lighting. Ultimately, patriarchy seems a legacy of damage, its ravening adventures dwindling unhappily into domestic life.’

’it’s the writing that dazzles: surreal, savage and at times startlingly empathetic’ said Time Out’s Andrjez Lukowski. He told us: ‘Birch’s darkly hilarious prose is gripping, and Sam Pritchard’s production agreeably taut and minimalist, a showcase for the words and actors’.

The Standard’s Nick Curtis found it: ‘an effortful watch, but a rewarding one.’ He described how ‘Birch tracks the progression of the novel through romance, realism, modernism and postmodernism… Through all the playful shifts in mood, pace and tone, her voice remains sharp and unsparing: she has an uncanny ability to bring things into crystalline focus with a chilling image or a phrase.’

Dave Fargnoli of The Stage explained: ‘This is no straightforward act of adaptation. Birch has constructed an intricate analysis of form and structure, sampling widely from literary genres – Bildungsroman, epistolary, Boys’ Own adventure – to tell a timely story of toxic masculinity and the lifelong search for purpose and meaning. The result is bewildering, bleak and often darkly funny.’

Claire Allfree for the Telegraph called it a ‘formidable if provocatively unwieldy three-hour play, which examines the last 150 years of testosterone-fuelled cultural narratives through the diverging stories of three estranged brothers.’

3 stars ★★★

LondonTheatre’s Theo Bosanquet liked it but: ‘This near-three-hour sweep of the patriarchy in its various iterations is a piece that throws up no end of provocative moments and ideas. It will keep you talking long into the night. But it also feels baggy and unfocussed at times, a smorgasbord of ideas that never quite cohere into a satisfying whole.’

1 star ★

The Times’ Clive Davis was having none of it: ‘What’s particularly irritating about Alice Birch’s terminally dull play… is that it spends nearly three hours congratulating itself on its grand psychological insights when it has, in fact, nothing original to say.’ He saw it as symptomatic of today’s playwriting: ‘Romans is an empty vessel but it does convey a worrying truth about the state of theatre: we’re awash with outstanding actors but they’re starved of good new writing.’

Critics’ average rating 3.8★

Romans: A Novel can be seen at the Almeida Theatre until 11 October 2025. Buy tickets direct from the theatre.

If you’ve seen Romans: A Novel, please leave a review and rating below