Reader Reviews
Kean (Apollo Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Tears of laughter at Sher's performance. He was Frankie Howard, Olivier and Sid James rolled into one. - Gary Millard | 26 Jun 07 |
| Tears of laughter at Sher's performance. He was Frankie Howard, Olivier and Sid James rolled into one. - Gary Millard | 26 Jun 07 |
| 4 BECAUSE OF SHER - ALWAYS RELISHING HIS OBVIOUS ENJOYMENT AMD BRILLIANCE - BUT THE DIRECTION IS UNINSPIRING SLACK FROM NOBLE, THE PLAY IS FLABBY, AND APART FROM MURPHY AND KELLY THE SUPPORT IS WEAK. BUT SHER IS SO MUCH FUN, AND HIS CAMEOS HILARIOUS. - ALEX GREEN | 05 Jun 07 |
| What a superb perfomance. Sher is brilliant and a great asset to theatreland!! I have seen is Malvolio and Macbeth for the RSC all played brilliantly. Joanne Pearce is superb as Elena as she was in Adrian Noble's Plantagenets for the RSC in 1988. Sam Kelly as Salomon as the same cheeky comic spirit as seen in his famous role in "Allo Allo". Jane Murphy plays a fine Anne Danby reminisent of perhaps Kean's wife Mary!! Superb!! - Janice Bancroft | 04 Jun 07 |
| I was expecting the worst after the reviews i read, but was so glad i trusted my instinct and went anyway. It was so good to see a producer take a risk in the west end. I hope this show runs and runs it deserves to. Fantastic acting from the whole cast. Go and see it. - Delia | 03 Jun 07 |
| a fabulous evening. if you're at all curious go and see it. i would highly recommend this beautifully designed, bravely acted and intelligently directed production. a must see in the west end, which has so little quality non musical theatre. - sam | 03 Jun 07 |
| I'm afraid I found very little to reccommend here. Don't expect any attempt at biography, or even the witty sophistication of something like "Shakespeare In Love". What we have here seems to fall between Ray Cooney farce and Noel Coward backstage backbiting. Sadly, though all the farcical elements are present and correct (sundry wives, jealous husbands, secret doors, disguises, mistakes, misunderstandings and mistresses, and a dignitary - here, the Prince of Wales) the cast seem to play AGAINST what the script offers them, rather than embrace it. Only Robert East displays the comic timing and suavity which seem appropriate, and his performance hints at what we COULD have here. Instead, we are left with a rather dreary affair which only occasionally raises a smile, and even rarer laughs. The impression I'm left with is that someone had a bold, and perhaps clever idea - and it didn't come off. 2 stars for trying though. - Kev | 26 May 07 |
| I didn't know what to expect from this, and it is a bit of a curiosity, but a very enjoyable one. For a start, why is a play about a 19th century character set in the 1950s? This isn't a straight biography, it's a funny, sometimes farcical, portrait of an actor whose life offstage is more dramatic than the roles he plays onstage. Antony Sher gets to show off all his considerable ability and showmanship in the title role. Above all, it's a play about theatre itself and I hope this excellent and well-designed production will appeal to everyone who loves the theatre. - Citycat | 23 Apr 07 |
