Reader Reviews
Hecuba (Donmar Warehouse, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | If there was a 10, I would give that score to this dazzling production which is one of the very finest renditions of Greek drama that I have seen. Claire Higgins provides an astonishingly emotionally raw performance. She is devastating. But all the cast are remarkable - Eddie Redmayne and Nicholads Day in particular are devastating. The images from this play will haunt me forever. - 80.177.231.164) | 07 Nov 04 |
| Clare Higgins is magnificent as Hecuba - a mesmerising, moving, devastating performance. The supporting cast, including Finbar Lynch and Tim Pigott-Smith, are excellent... and the lovely Eddie Redmayne (surely, a young star in the making) has one of the most impressive stage entrances I've ever seen. Having said that, I was in the front row and literally two feet from him. If you can find a ticket, you won't be disappointed. - 193.130.127.205) | 19 Oct 04 |
| i saw this last night ad would say it was truly a fantastic show. the cleaver language conversion mixed well with the modernisation of the set and minimalisation of the chorus to a solitary person. the performances were gripping and the wall covered in dead names really captured the esence of the desperation throughout. well donw to all. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.195.42.126) | 09 Oct 04 |
| I'm not really a fan of Greek tragedies, but this was utterly gripping. I personally loved the staging and felt the minimalist use of cast and stage was very powerful and added to the intesity of the whole experience. To bring an ancient play so seemingly effortlessly into a modern context is no mean feat and this version of Hecuba will be a hard act to follow... - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.158.200.86) | 07 Oct 04 |
| If you have a fondness for Greek tragedy, you'll love this production. If you're a more casual fan, like me, however, it's nothing special. The design is stunning, the direction superb, just as we would expect from a Kent/Brown production. But I can't help feeling that the performances (with the exception of Alfred Burke and Susan Engel, who were both lovely to watch) were somewhat monotonous and uninspiring. I suppose the night is spoilt if you decide that you don't like Hecuba, and I didn't. Clare Higgins was impressive and deserved the large round of applause, but that's as far as it went for me. After half an hour she really started to grind at my patience. I know she played a desperately distraught woman, but there was no need for the constant heavy breathing and the often forced grief. It just never seemed natural (except, perhaps, when she grieved over her son). I'd like to have seen a more varied performance. Another thing I was hoping for was a large chorus, because the set was just asking for it - but, alas, Kent tormented us by just providing one old woman. Overall, it was good, but irritating in places and certainly nothing special in my opinion.BH - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.194.18) | 30 Sep 04 |
| This is a 2500-year old play staged and performed with as much freshness and relevance as any newly written drama - and a hell of a lot better than most. The design and staging are stunning and all of the performances deserve high praise - but I have to single out Clare Higgins, whose performance as Hecuba will forever stand out in a lifetime of theatre-going and is a real privilege to witness. Harrowing. Devastating. Thrilling. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.232.16.14) | 28 Sep 04 |
| Harrowing, resonant and brilliant in every respect. A rollercoaster ride for the emotions, you walk out after less than an hour and a half completely drained. As powerful and succinct a consideration of the human condition as one is likely to see. Adaptor, director designer and cast all in perfect harmony. A gem for those with a strong stomach and a hard act to follow for the RSC. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.168.23.114) | 21 Sep 04 |
