Reader Reviews
Rhinoceros (Royal Court - Jerwood Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | What is wrong with the critics? This is one of the best shows all year, an astonishing achievement. - Joesmith | 10 Dec 07 |
| Well I liked the Rhinoceros, but after two and a half hours struggling with this piece I ended up with a sore arse, and nothing else! Too much time and effort to say too little. Best to have left it in the cupboard. - rds | 04 Dec 07 |
| Three stars, but only just - and that's for the performances and the realistically-designed rhinos, not the play itself. The audience score nul points: a bunch of sweet wrapper-rustling, whispering, seat-kicking morons, many of whom giggled uncontrollably at every other line. - Andrew B | 09 Oct 07 |
| I have to disagree. I was expecting it to be overlong and laboured but was suprised by the excellent pacing, moving subtley from farce to menace and near despair. Two images towards the end have stayed with me. Perhaps the arguments put forward are confusing and contradictory but that makes things more morally challenging. I think it makes more than one point in its two hours, about different choices and their consequences. It gives no simple answers, and very little hope. The acting is excellent and the set is stunning, working with the text rather than dazzling the eye. Well worth comparing with the upcoming parallel production of The Arsonists which I think is a weaker play. - Bert | 06 Oct 07 |
| A wonderfully acted, fascinating evening thoroughly enjoyable. It is indeed verbose but the dialogue has excellent pace and is brilliantly delivered and Rhinoceros is also witty and thrilling. Jean's transformation is a breath-taking example of the finest physical acting and whilst I have a few issues with some of the staging at the start of act two the ensemble work is perfect. For our party of six aged 25 -55 the evening sped by. - Carrie Cohen | 04 Oct 07 |
| A wonderfully acted, fascinating evening thoroughly enjoyable. It is indeed verbose but the dialogue has excellent pace and is brilliantly delivered and Rhinoceros is also witty and thrilling. Jean's transformation is a breath-taking example of the finest physical acting and whilst I have a few issues with some of the staging at the start of act two the ensemble work is perfect. For our party of six aged 25 -55 the evening sped by. - Carrie Cohen | 04 Oct 07 |
| You can't fault Dominic Cooke's production or a set of fine performances lead by Benedict Cumberbach and Jasper Britton, but 2.5 hours is a long time to make one point. Almost 50 years on, the play comes over as dreadfully laboured and verbose. The extrordinary talent on display could surely find a more worthy play? - Gareth James | 02 Oct 07 |
