Reader Reviews
The Lightning Play (Almeida Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Dreadful. The acting, script and direction were all dire - the only thing to be said for it was the set! What on earth were the Almeida doing putting this on in the first place? Staggeringly over acted to the point of becoming a macabre pantomime. Surely black actors deserve to be given better material, which does not patronise or pigeon hole them, than this. And one other thing what was it with the clunky accents? It was an African 'ello 'ello. The incredibly slow response to applaud at the close of the first act tonight was a clear sign of what the audience thought of it. - rds | 21 May 10 |
| Structurally this piece is a bit messy but I honestly didn't care as there is so much to enjoy here. Charlotte Jones's raunchy, witty dialogue positively crackles, while her grasp of wacky English eccentricity means that the dramatis personae is fascinating and delightful. On top of that, there is a beautiful set by Lez Brotherstone and a top notch cast led by Matthew Marsh, Eleanor David, Lloyd Hutchinson, Adie Allen and the adorable Katherine Parkinson. There's also a heart-catching coup de theatre at the end. Strange, unsettling, frequently hilarious...I would definitely recommend this. - 89.145.233.212) | 19 Dec 06 |
| There was a surprisingly poor house for tonight's performance - less than half full, which meant that my Dress Circle tickets were unexpectedly upgraded to good seats in the Stalls. Impressive, well-judged performances all round, especially Matthew Marsh, when he revealed the vulnerability and weaknesses behind his flashy, wise-cracking exterior. The only flaw in the evening was the stupid old fool in the seat in front of me who treated his wife to a running commentary during the closing minutes of the play (and the dramatic coup de theatre), despite my pleas to ask him to be quiet. To you, sir, I say: I'd be very happy to see YOU struck by lightning. - 84.9.87.168) | 13 Dec 06 |
| Two stars is all I can bring myself to give this play. Where do I start? Well lets start with the main protaganists Max(Matthew Marsh)and Harriet (Eleanor David). It has been a long time since I have had the misfortune to see two actors look so uncomfortable and unconvincing in their parts on a professional stage. It made the junior players in this trite piece by the author, Charlotte Jones, look good. And believe me that took some doing given the material they have to work with. Ms jones has lined up the usual suspects to lampoon. The Essex girl of course, then any regional accent West Country and Belfast are always good for a laugh - and of course, to round off, the upper class twit Marcus(the best performance in the play and some one to watch for I feel)- but how droll is that! One must sympathise to a degree with the director (Anna Mackmin) who needed something to make these characters less two dimensional than they are already. Even Max is given to doing Ted Heath shoulder heaves when he sees images of his lost child in the giant plasma TV which dominates the set. Moments I suspect the author wanted us gripped by but instead melt away as this play ulimately does. It seemed to me I was watching a rather poorly plagiarized version of Albee's masterpiece "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". The lost child, the bitter invective flying around as thick and fast as the drinks, the embarrased couple subjected to the same mauling the protaganists give each other. But Albee is a master. He didn't need to populate his stage with unnecessary characters as this author has done. Now get this - there is even an homage to "Little Britain" when Imogen's (Katherine Parkinson) waters break - full-on centre stage - which left the "Islington" audience completely flummoxed. Come on Ms Jones give US a break! How this play got past first reading I do not know. But for it to go on and get the huge investment the Almeida have put into it is just beyond belief. There is, surprisingly, a coup de theatre in the final moments of the play but not from the writer but the designer (Lez Brotherston) whose magnificent set this play does not deserve. - 172.202.69.213) | 25 Nov 06 |
| I saw this play in previews and I am still thinking about it. The wit in the first half was so effortless and true that I was totally unprepared for the darker mood in act two - by the end i was in tears and I didn;t really know when i had started crying - I was totally absorbed. In a West End full of either commercial rubbish or pretentious dull plays, this shines out as an exciting but powerful night. I loved it. - 84.64.120.40) | 20 Nov 06 |
| I shalln't spoil it by describing this play. I found it intriguing, original, cleverly structured, witty and it held my attention throughout. This is much edgier than her wistful Humble Boy; it's refreshing to see a playright with such range. The dialogue crackles and most of its delivery (particularly by Matthew Marsh) is spot on. Les Brotherson's design and Anna Machin's direction are first class. Another great night at The Almeida. - 193.35.134.150) | 17 Nov 06 |
| Beautiful, funny and profoundly moving! I have a season ticket for the Almeida and had not seen one of Ms Jones plays before, so was wonderfully surprised by this delicate but hilarious account of friendship, bravery and loss. The play is set in a middle class Islington household but soon ventures into weird and wonderful territory as Halloween night unfolds and the dinner guests become more and more unstable. I loved Jones' heightened use of language and character and the very clever device of a large flatscreen tv that dominates the set. The cast are brilliant. I fell in love with Eleanor David, and Adie Allen and Katherine Parkinson (from The IT Crowd) were hilarious. The end had the audience on their feet and cheering at the first preview, and had me in tears, which was unexpected as I had been laughing so much. A very rewarding evening - 86.132.106.224) | 16 Nov 06 |
| This play is a mess - but (mostly) a watchable mess. The writer makes her characters act oddly (but sometimes amusingly) for a couple of hours, and then has them (with no other justification than having drunk a couple of glasses of wine) confess their darkest secrets to everyone else to account for the odd behaviour. Apart from these confessions, nothing significant happens at all during the play (except for two events shown in flashback). Nevertheless, three very watchable actors play three elegantly written (except when the writer's straining to manufacture a plot she clearly has little interest in) and captivating characters (three of the other characters are played as, and, to a degree, written as, loud caricatures, the other two are short cameos). Matthew Marsh as the compulsively wisecracking Max and Lloyd Hutchinson as his hopeless but devoted friend Eddie manage to kick the play into life even where the plot dwindles into chat. The barbed dialogue, though not always justified by the situation, often has energy and wit. The set does some interesting things at the end of the play, but the price is paid in the first half, where it forces an awkward staging for the flashbacks. - 62.252.0.10) | 16 Nov 06 |
