Anne-Marie Duff is ‘magnificent’ in disappointing play

Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre

The critics were delighted to see Anne-Marie Duff back on stage (‘magnificent’ The Guardian) but most of them were disappointed that it wasn’t in better vehicle (‘slovenly writing’ The Times). Helen Edmundson‘s play shows how an incident, in which an ‘ordinary’ middle-aged woman is abused by a 11 year old boy, escalates until she becomes a victim of a misogynistic society and is pushed to the brink. Not all the critics were negative about the play: ‘leaves you feeling thoroughly shaken and queasy’ said Time Out. Blanche McIntyre directs.

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

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

WhatsOnStage‘s Sarah Crompton explained why she liked the play: ‘The setup of Helen Edmundson’s new play is very simple. Its twists and turns, however, draw gasps from the audience as Anne-Marie Duff’s Julie, an ordinary woman living an ordinary life, suddenly finds herself at the centre of a legal and emotional maelstrom. Its plot is part of its pleasure, so it’s a shame to give too much away, but suffice it to say that Julie quickly moves from being victim to being accused in a court system that allows manipulation and injustice to thrive.’ She continued: ‘What gives Some Woman its particular quality, though, is Edmundson’s interest in the way that women of a certain age become ignored. Julie’s reaction to what happens to her is in part because she is tired of being invisible, putting her needs last. She wants, as she says, people to look at her and to see her.’ She concluded: ‘it’s a tense and engrossing evening and a wonder to spend it with Duff, the kind of actor you could watch forever.’

The Telegraph‘s Dominic Cavendish was another supporter of the play: ‘As well as chiming with our Kafkaesque times – in which law-abiding citizens can feel they’re only one misstep from losing everything – Julie’s intensifying isolation embodies a sense of the insurmountable forces faced by feminism’ and of the star: ‘Duff makes a nominally “invisible” woman a potent presence, moving from eyes-closed disbelief, to bleak, blank despair, to a sense of courageous resolve.’

Holly O’Mahony for Time Out said: ‘Helen Edmundson’s new play Some Woman is described as a thriller, but the experience of watching it is more like a slow strangulation – one that leaves you feeling thoroughly shaken and queasy on the other side.’ She concluded: ‘Edmundson’s play posits that women beyond ‘a certain age’, as they’re so often described, are not only invisible to society, but dangerously vulnerable once they’re no longer deemed of value to men. This is feminist theatre that serves justice to its case.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

‘Opposing forces tug against each other in this new drama as Anne-Marie Duff is magnificent amid playwright Helen Edmundson’s implausible plotting. The result is a failed suspension of disbelief yet a convincing central performance’ began The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar. And ended: ‘She is not only the everyday victim of misogyny but an everyday female hero too. This message has its own power, however bad the plotting may be.’

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis started positively: ‘Anne-Marie Duff gives a fine performance of harried, slowly ramping desperation in this bleak drama about the hostility and unfairness women face in society. It’s good to have this subtle, heartfelt actress back, after two years away from the limelight, in a story that feels both horribly timely and horribly timeless.’ He was more negative about the play: ‘(The) script is punchy but schematic … with situations and characters arranged to push Duff’s Julie Robson toward a series of brinks (…) Much of Edmundson’s writing is eloquent, particularly Julie’s elucidation of her own lurch toward despair, and her paean to motherhood. But some of it is clunky beyond belief from a writer who is usually adroit.’

Jane Edwardes for Plays International praised the star: ‘Duff is such a good actor that every time she comes back home, which she does at the start of most of the scenes, you know her state of mind as she moves from bewilderment, through anguish, despair, and resentment to rebellion.’

The Stage’s Sam Marlowe gave this analysis: ‘It’s a grim, somewhat monochromatic picture: beyond a vague, rather dated-sounding reference by Julie to “the online stuff, the stuff with influencers”, there’s not much sense of context. The play’s observations are accurate, undeniably, but they’d have greater impact in a drama with a more varied texture and colour palette.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

Anya Ryan of LondonTheatre said: ‘Despite being a play that puts forward a tick-box collection of social issues, Duff is remarkably sincere, becoming progressively more shattered as Julie’s options close in around her. She looks constantly on the verge of releasing a scream, physically trembling in moments of distress.’

The Independent’s Alice Saville was disappointed: ‘Julie finally rebels – but with a gentleness and caution that doesn’t make sense in this black-and-white world. Duff is capable of delivering so much fire. Here, it’s as though she’s giving the patriarchy a kicking in house slippers, when what she needs is a steel-capped boot.’

The Times’ Clive Davis complained: ‘Anne-Marie Duff is a fine actress, but even her presence can’t compensate for the slovenly writing’ and warned: ’you’d be wise to stay away from this one’.

Critics’ average rating 3⭑

Some Woman can be seen at the National Theatre’s Dorfman Theatre until 21 November 2026. Buy tickets from nationaltheatre.org.uk

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