Reader Reviews
Big White Fog (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 |
| I clicked on the "Show Listing" for this play and was not at all surprised to see 5 stars for Readers Reviews, and then to see all the entries were 5 stars, a remarkable achievement. What a remarkable night at the theatre, truly memorable. The cast are uniformly terrific. From the very young upwards. If one were to describe each of the talented cast individually it would fill too much of this column. Suffice it to say there are very fine performances, but Jenny Jules is heartbreaking as the obdeient wife, finally broken by the hardship inflicted upon her by her principled husband, but what principles! I defy anyone not to be moved to tears by this production. Michael Attenborough has directed a fine ensemble in a magnificent staging by Jonathan Fensom, who manages to recreate the atmosphere of an uptown brownstone so vividly that I could almost feel the stupifying heat of summer, and the bone gnawing cold of winter as vividly as if I had been there. A triumph for the Almeida. It MUST get a transfer to the West End. Brilliant! - rds | 08 Jun 07 |
| To say that the Almeida has done nothing better is praise indeed. Quite why this play - which on the basis of this production is, in my book, a 20th century American classic - has taken 70 years to get here is beyond me. Michael Attenborough's production is faultless and I've hardy ever seen an ensemble that matches this one. For anyone passionate about theatre, missing this would be a tragedy. Magnificent! - Gareth James | 24 May 07 |
| I agree with everything Mr Coveney says about the production and the magnificent cast - I don't agree with him or one or two other critics about the piece being 'creaky'. i thought it was an excellent piece of story-telling written with great vigour and emotional honesty. It's a disgrace the play has never been seen here before. All power to the Almeida. - D. White | 22 May 07 |
| I agree with everything Mr Coveney says about the production and the magnificent cast - I don't agree with him or one or two other critics about the piece being 'creaky'. i thought it was an excellent piece of story-telling written with great vigour and emotional honesty. It's a disgrace the play has never been seen here before. All power to the Almeida. - D. White | 22 May 07 |
| Stunning. Powerful. And utterly moving. - Matt | 18 May 07 |
| I enjoyed this immensely. What a large and ambitious project, beautifully pulled off by a cast of stunning actors, so uniformly good that it's invidious to pick anyone out. Now let's see them all in plays that aren't necessarily written for black actors, and not only Shakespeare. - Matthew Lingens | 18 May 07 |
| Fantastic! - Sarah | 16 May 07 |
