Reader Reviews
The Hypochondriac (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 |
| Absolutely wonderful: just hilarious and frequently revolting. Richard Bean's inventively scatalogical new version is given an athletic, elegant and consistently entertaining production by Lindsay Posner. Henry Goodman turns in yet another enthralling performance, finding both Argan's monstrousness and his humanity; the supporting cast are uniformly strong but Lyndsey Marshal's delightfully cheeky maid and John Marquez's socially inept suitor are brilliant. Deserves to have people queuing down Upper St! - 195.82.123.181) | 29 Nov 05 |
| Fantasticly gross. Henry Goodman did, yet again, a brilliant job portraying the role of Argan, alongside the un-missable Ronni Ancona, Lynsey Marshal, Kris Marshall, Carey Mulligan and John Marquez. Superbly acted and had me in stitches throughout. Fully recommended! - 80.84.166.100) | 27 Nov 05 |
| You probably couldn't get a production of this play that was better staged and acted, but is it really worth the effort? A lot of toilet jokes well delivered don't make a great night of theatre. - 86.130.218.227) | 25 Nov 05 |
| Dissapointed with this. Henry Goodman was excellent in the lead but the rest of the cast seemed less than comfortable in their roles. Ronni Ancora despite being deliciously attired seemed amateurish and this spread throughtout the cast especially Kris Marshall who seemed very ill at ease. The first half was amusing but the second half lacked the comedy or the pace. It all seemed a bit amateur. However, an undemanding Christmas show and an alternative to panto!! - 84.9.127.121) | 23 Nov 05 |
