Reader Reviews
The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Did not enjoy much. Somewhere between overacted and overly contrived. Unable to empathise with characters, who are very flat indeed. Also because lead Diva seemed to be doing a stand up routine by trying to get audience participation- Now what is that about!! - Odog | 12 Apr 10 |
| 5 stars for the acting and in particular the fabulous Tamsin Greig...she's fabulous. Next year BAFTA should book her to host the show, she's a knockout. Crazy NYC show, but so well cast. I thought Rupert Friend acquitted himself well as his resume didn't show any other theatre work? But Harry Lloyd, whom I remember from A View From The Bridge last year, was outstanding. British audiences, I did see a matinee (aah!), aren't the most responsive - maybe they were shocked? Ha! I should have seen it NYC a few years back - audiences there should get their own award! Funny old week for me all plays with a poofy element, The Habit of Art, again, this one and 6 Degrees of Separation - like buses then? But A Little Dog Laughed is a knockout. - rds | 04 Apr 10 |
| Wow, this play has certainly divided opinion hasn't it? I must say I can see both sides. It’s certainly not a play without flaws, and it’s easy to understand why it would rub critics or anyone expecting something substantial up the wrong way. It often comes over like an episode of Dawson’s Creek; the script is nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is and it often mistakes being arch for being witty and sophisticated. Its treatment of the relationships between the characters doesn’t really ring true (one of them does an inelegant handbrake turn by going from soliloquising over whether to throw his whole life into flux by pursuing a relationship one minute to being absolutely delighted to be receiving a huge payout to skip town the next). And Tamsin Greig’s extravagant poses and patter with the audience at the beginning are more than a bit strange, carrying as they do a faint echo of Frankie Howerd. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think this must mainly be down to the performances. Miss Greig did not put a foot wrong and I thought she did a great job portraying the monstrous Diane. And she looked totally fantastic- if I were her I'd be surreptitiously stuffing a few choice pieces from the wardrobe into my bag at the end of the run. Harry Lloyd was similarly winning as the confused hustler Alex, and Gemma Arterton managed to make her character more than just pathetic and needy. Rupert Friend (Mitchell) I found slightly less convincing, however he too looked fabulous (though in his case when unencumbered by clothing). If I’d been in the mood for a piece of substantial theatre to get my teeth into I’d have been sneering throughout, but for a couple of hours of matinee entertainment after schlepping round the West End shops this fitted the bill very nicely. Most of my fellow punters seemed to like it too. And to be honest, like it or not isn’t that what most of the potential audience want? - David | 22 Mar 10 |
| A very funny piece of theatre. It is hilarious. Tamsin Greig plays the monster agent way way over the top and she is all the funnier for that. Rupert Friend and Harry Lloyd are quite touching and funny. And Gemma Arterton makes the very best of an underwritten part. A spartan set with slick light changes makes the whole thing proceed at a lick. - William | 19 Mar 10 |
| I can understand why this play has generated such a divided response. Some bits I loved (Tamsin Greig does a great job and looks glorious is her power-dressing outfits and heels) and some bits I hated (the "love" story between Mitchel and Alex is underwhelming to the point where I didn't much care what happened to either of them). An OK show, with a script that trips over itself trying to be too clever. - Kenneth | 03 Mar 10 |
| I really liked this show. It is both witty and moving. I loved Tamsin Greig's OTT performance and she really drives the show. Harry Lloyd brings a truth to a part that could just have been a cipher. Loved it. - Robbie | 02 Mar 10 |
| Not great, but OK. Essentially you have four good actors (well i dont know much much about arterton) doing a rubbish script. It has some funny moments but on the whole is a bit tedious. I think the boys do well especially harry lloyd and there is one very good dualogue. I love Tamsin G usually but this time she just annoyed the hell out of me. As for arterton i just dont see what all the hype is about. Go if you can get cheap tickets but dont fork out, there's better things on. - PG | 01 Mar 10 |
| Saw this for the second time on Saturday night. It is a hilarious show exposing shallowness and manipulation in the US film world. There's a great performance from Tamsin Greig who delivers her abrasive and witty lines with aplomb. No its not Chekov but it is very very funny. - Cody | 28 Feb 10 |
| Saw this play last night and could only stick three-quarters of an hour before we ran out into the rain. Dull and so boring. Felt conned.Couldn't believe how bad it is. - Pandora | 25 Feb 10 |
| Not particulary funny, the odd laugh, very little story line but a lot of unintelligble ramblings. Sexually explicit to a degree that made it awkward for the family group that we took. Annoyed with the Garrick that the write-up on the home page does not advise on this. We spent £200 on tickets and left at the interval. - Amanda | 21 Feb 10 |
| Saw it tonight and couldn't disagree more with this review! Funny and at times quite touching. It is refreshing to see Hollywood's blatent hypocrisy taken head on. Tamsin Greig is the real star though, great characterisation. Plus Harry Lloyd is hot. - Chris | 20 Feb 10 |
| I thought this was really entertaining. Not radical or groundbreaking but really great fun. I laughed lots and the audience last night seemed to have a great time. Lots of laughter and exit rounds. Baffled by the negative comments here, though agree it is not the best play in the world. - Susan | 20 Feb 10 |
| Agree with Mr Baxter, although Tamsin's BIG acting was brilliant. - Sally Phelton | 19 Feb 10 |
| I really enjoyed it. Tamsin and her costumes were wonderful. The time flew. A fun afternoon's entertainment. - Sarah | 18 Feb 10 |
| And another thing . . . . some of the scenes between Mitchell and Alex were just like Rod and Nicky from Avenue Q, but not as funny. - David Baxter | 18 Feb 10 |
| TLDL is the third play already this year where the cast narrate large chunks of the story but there are diminishing returns from the delightful Midsummer. The premise is very promising - a satire on Hollywood's hypocritical attitude to gay stars - and the ending makes you wonder how many real cases it reflects, even if it is in total contradiction to the context of the previous 110 minutes. The characters range from mildy to unbearably irritating and Douglas Carter Beane's script is nowhere near as funny or clever as he thinks it is. The cast of four do their best and Gemma Arterton is very nice to look at but the saving grace is a hurricane force of a performance from Tamsin Greig. Rejecting any temptation for subtlety she wrings every possible drop from her stereotypical monster of an agent and her asides to the audience do contain the rare instances of wit. TLDL shares a lot of common ground witht The Misanthrope, playing nearby, but in the Knightley / Friend household it's 1-0 to Keira. - David Baxter | 17 Feb 10 |
| Not the best play in the world. Performances were fine, but the play was a bit too boring. I didn't care about anyone, and always like to have at least one person to root for. Taqmsin Greig was funny. - Debbie Jones | 17 Feb 10 |
| heres an idea.. why not employ a reviewer who actually thinks like the people who are going into the theatre and buying the tickets...?and since this review is on the internet, wouldnt it be prudent to have a voice representing us who is young enough to know HOW to use the internet..? god knows the universities must be churning out people with english or theatrical degrees... just a thought. - Leon | 15 Feb 10 |
| The 5-star multiple reviewer has returned! welcome back Geoff-Frank-Andrew-Phillip! Lol! - Rebecca Masterson | 14 Feb 10 |
| - | Took my girlfriend but this didn't really take off for us. She's a big Rupert Friend fan after Young Victoria, but he seemed a bit flat to us. We both felt we wanted more laughs. So did the couple next to us. - Pete | 14 Feb 10 |
| Dull. It was half empty tonight. - Sarah T | 14 Feb 10 |
| I disagree with the poisonous comments here. I have never laughed so much in a theatre. - andrew | 13 Feb 10 |
| Great - Frank | 12 Feb 10 |
| - | I was really bored by this production and sighed all the way through. The whole cast were tired apart from Tasmin Greig. I'd definatly not go again. - David | 12 Feb 10 |
| Awful! (I think it's just you and me on here!) - Geoff | 12 Feb 10 |
| Superb. Very funny. - Geoff | 11 Feb 10 |
| Agree with Janet and Nick. Boring play. - Gareth James Joe | 11 Feb 10 |
| Well seems this play has caused a lot of different reviews. After reading the critics and them saying that Tamsin Greig held it together--well true to say that she was brilliant, as always and had some excellent lines but i thought the play and story very good and all the cast in top form--I loved it and would see it again - Joe | 11 Feb 10 |
| A first for me this - until now I have never had to walk out of a performance before the interval. This Play was truly appalling in its shallowness, and I would suggest that all those who gave it a positive review should perhaps remember the story of the "Emperor’s New Clothes” – you are being duped by members of the ‘Theatre Village’ who are trying to scare you into denying the truth. This Play is smutty and badly written sleaze, dressed up as being ‘edgy’, ‘modern’ and ‘parody’. It is in fact a caricature of the deeply depressing and vacuous world it itself inhabits. - Nick | 08 Feb 10 |
| I hated every moment of this play. Knew it would be tripe when the load overbearingm music blasted out before the play even began annoyed everyone in the auditorium.No chemistry between the actors; I walked out at the interval; comments I overheard from audience members were not good. A load of rubbish. After leaving the theatre I went to see the new George Clooney film in Leicester Square, at least my night out was not competely wasted! - Janette Gardner | 07 Feb 10 |
| We hope Jessica comes back to read this, as we agree with her: everyone does have a right to say what they think about a play without being judged. We thought the play was rubbish! - David and Marie | 06 Feb 10 |
| - | Up with Nation for disappointing. - Jessica | 06 Feb 10 |
| Went with my school party: the kids liked the boys in trunks, but not the play. Which is a shame, as they've got to write about it now! War Horse next! - Angela Roberts | 06 Feb 10 |
| I agree that it is not a five star show, however I think it is rude and unfair to dismiss someone else's view as "mad" just because you didn't like it. I saw this the other night and thought it was very funny and highly diverting. All four actors were fantastic and I'd recommend it for an entertaining night out. Outside the theatre were lots of four star reviews. Let everyone have a view please. - Jessica | 06 Feb 10 |
| Which person keeps putting 5 star reviews on here? Are they mad? (This will result in their next post reading " I'm not mad, but I enjoyed this..." etc. etc. This play was dull dull dull. Five star reviews are VERY misleading to readers. Avoid. - Steven Bridges | 05 Feb 10 |
| Yet again (most) critics are out-of-synch with the audience. This play probably won’t be revived in 20 years, but for now it’s a very entertaining night out and that’s more than can be said for a lot of plays! It’s a satire in Hollywood which centres on an agents’ attempt to keep her client in the closet to protect his earning power - and hers. It takes a while to get into the high energy delivery style but when you do you realise how much it suits the story.All four performances are good; with Tasmin Grieg and Harry Lloyd shining (though it’s fair to say they have the best written parts). Grieg is acidly funny as the agent; much of her dialogue is direct to the audience and she gets even more laughs than the sharp script gives her – if she ever decides to give up acting, she’d be a huge success in stand up. Great fun. - Gareth James | 05 Feb 10 |
| I really enjoyed this production and laughed all the way through. The whole cast were amazing but especially Tasmin Greig. I'd definatly go again. - Rich | 03 Feb 10 |
| What WAS that all about? - David | 02 Feb 10 |
| harry lloyd was superb, average performance from other cast, lloyd kept it alive once again. - phillip | 02 Feb 10 |
| Time Out said it was heartless and souless, and I have to agree. No warmth or joy, even in some of the performances. Tamsin was great though. Boring play. - Stephanie T | 02 Feb 10 |
| very stylish, entertaining production with strong solid performances. that review is utter nonsense. think mr coveney might be a bit of a homophobe. and 'drop dead gorgeous' gemma aterton'?? i ask you...why are all the reviewers in this country middle aged, stuffy old pervs? his press pass should be revoked purely for using the word 'pirandellianism' jeez...! - francesca | 01 Feb 10 |
| Highly recommended and certainly not the complete failure other people here seem to think it is. It is a good (not great) play done very, very well. It is a fun night out and really worth seeing. Great cast. - Cath | 31 Jan 10 |
| Snorefest: overlong and under-funny. We can't believe we lasted it! - Janice | 30 Jan 10 |
| I really enjoyed this. It didn't change my life but i had a jolly nice evening. Just one thing, i really feel the need to point out some quite terrible journalism here in paragraph six of this review. That 'eurasian' line you've singled out as an example of poor writing is surely deliberately meant to be that way, since the one character cracks it in a moment of nervousness and then the other character responds with how inappropriate/terrible it is as a joke. I feel its a rather cheap shot to take such a line out of context in the way that this review has. - Anna | 28 Jan 10 |
| Really was superb tonight with a great audience reaction. Everyone seemed to have a fantastic time. So weird that this has divided everyone. - Ray | 27 Jan 10 |
| I thought it was very poor with the only good moments when Tamsin was on stage on her own............sorry - Gary | 27 Jan 10 |
| A tour de force performance from Tamsin Greig. Brilliant. - simon | 27 Jan 10 |
| Highly recommended. Really enjoyed this last night. - susan | 27 Jan 10 |
| Where was the drama in this play? - Andy | 26 Jan 10 |
| I'm not a fan either, but thought this was genuinely fantastic. Slick, cool and funny. I went because of Billington's review too (and Susannah Clapp in The Observer). Surprised by the negative reaction here. Tamsin Greig gives the performance of the year. - andy | 26 Jan 10 |
| I'm loathed to write this for fear of being called an "actor-fan". I'm not a fan, but I did have a really great night at the theatre last night and laughed lots. I went on the basis of the 4 star Guardian review. The play is nothing special, but it is really great fun and actually quite touching. No, there is nothing new, but it is is all very well done and I thought the cast was fantastic. Tamsin Greig was tremendous and makes it a must-see. - Lou | 26 Jan 10 |
| Awful play,so dull dull dull heard it all before and all done much better than this pile of badly acted drivelAVOID! - Jez | 25 Jan 10 |
| We agree too. What was this? A lagely wasted evening. (Which one person keeps putting 5star reviews on this bit? He/She is defeating the point, surely? Do actor-fans post here to help shows?) They'll probably post next. - Anne | 25 Jan 10 |
| Kate Scott - Can we have been at the same performance? I saw it last night and the reaction from the audience was massive. Huge laughs. This is fantastic fun and a quick search of the Sunday critics this morning suggests that Susannah Clapp, Kate Bassett and Mark Shenton thought so too. - David | 24 Jan 10 |
| We saw this last night and were VERY disappointed. And we wanted to like it so much. How could it be so bad? Even Tamsin looked guilty in the curtain call. Bless her. Avoid. - Kate Scott | 24 Jan 10 |
| Jack, the Sunday Times has also dared to speak the truth: "This is clumsy and self-indulgent, although at least it adds some unintentional laughs to this largely laughter-free “comedy”. As satire, The Little Dog Laughed is toothless, and as a love story, it is utterly unengaging. Jamie Lloyd’s direction is dull except when it’s being contrived, and the set is tedious and repetitive. Thank God for Greig, without whom this would have been one long, po-faced yawn." - Paul | 24 Jan 10 |
| I loved this slick, witty, fast-paced comedy as did the vast majority of the audience the night I was there. It is, as Charles Spencer said in The Telegraph, "Tart, smart and bang on the money". Tamsin Greig is hilarious and the chemistry between the boys is electric at times. Michael Coveney, you should be ashamed of your withering review. It is not a fair representation of the show, the performances of the actors or the reaction of the audience and you do neither yourself nor the WOS readers (who are probably much younger than you) nor the theatre in general any favours by being so wide of the mark. Time to hang up your pen and start leafing through brochures for rest homes. Will the owners of WOS please get a reviewer who is more attuned to contemporary theatre than this (once esteemed) scribbler. His reviews have been wide of the mark for a while now but this one takes the cake. Go and see it. You will not be disappointed. - Jack | 24 Jan 10 |
| Really surprised by this. It was fantastic. Very funny indeed. Whole audience applauding and laughing throughout, including exit rounds for Greig. I hope this runs and runs and that Tamsin Greig wins an Olivier for her brilliant portrayal of Diane, the Hollywood agent. - paul | 23 Jan 10 |
| We go tickets for this from teh booth in Leicester Square as I agree this is massively over priced. HOwever, I laughed through this and agree with the other reviewers that although was a little weak a times it worked and the performances won through - Harry Lloyd in particular. Nice to get something like this in the West End for a change. Would recommend taking a risk on this at the ticket booths but not for the £47 each..... - Caroline | 23 Jan 10 |
| Not as good as some reviews suggest but still an enjoyable night. Good performance from Tamsin Greig, agree that Gemma Arterton at times seemed a peripheral figure(not her fault) Some very funny moments. Must agree with comments re Michael Coveney. His reviews are so wide of the mark as to be no use at all. Read his review then expect the opposite. Time WOS got a new reviewer? - clyde | 23 Jan 10 |
| Hilarious. A great night out. A brilliant performance from Tamsin Greig. - Peter | 23 Jan 10 |
| Saw it last night. The 2 guys had no chemistry, and the Friend chap has no stage presence. Poor Gemma Arterton had nothing to do. Tamsin Greig was very funny though. We spent £47 peer ticket. That hurts. - Michael & Sarah | 23 Jan 10 |
| The Greig lifted it above appalling for me. Without her, I would have walked out. It is SO dull as a play. We care about NO ONE in it! Awful that it's been put on in the WEST END: come ON! See Jerusalem or Enron over this: you have been warned. - Dave Ryan | 23 Jan 10 |
| I thought this was pretty fantastic all in all. I agree with Michael Billington far more. - Jack | 22 Jan 10 |
| Agree all the way!!! - donna | 22 Jan 10 |
| This play was far funnier than i had expected and maybe slightly too edgy, loud and sophisticated for the naysayers, the michael coveney review is just pathetic, he obviously is just a grumpy old man passed his sell by date...... - John | 21 Jan 10 |
| I've got to say I disagree with Michael Coveney in one major respect. Yes, the play isn't that good, not worthy of west end status and all rather predictable. But the only thing that lifted it was the performances and in particular the wonderful performance of Tamsin Greig - the whole thing lifted whenever she was on stage. - Martim B | 21 Jan 10 |
| Coveney has no agenda...he's just past his sell by date...this review is semi literate - James | 21 Jan 10 |
| Coveney is a moron. 4 stars Charles Spencer, 4 stars Billington and at least 3 stars from those who didn't care for it as much. What is his agenda? Not the most profound evening, but highly enjoyable and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Four fantastic performances. Tamsin Greig is a comic genius. Thrilling. - ll | 21 Jan 10 |
| This play is for me a breath of fresh air in the West End. Myabe the ending could have been a bit stronger but apart from that it's a great piece and its mixture of drama & comedy works well. But hey this is America I guess! The acting is spot on and the American accents really good. Great set too, simple but effective. I enjoyed it on Broadway slightly better but this is still great considering that i saw a preview. - Nadia | 21 Jan 10 |
| When I walk out of a theatre wanting to read the screenplay it is always a good sign. Yet this play could have been more thought provoking and have greater depth. I felt the ending was weak, and sometimes a good drama & strong story can be sacrificed for comedy & laughs. But hey this is America I guess! For instance Alex's character could have been developed more - being the most intriguing character. We never really get to understand him or how he thinks. The accents do grate at first yet you marvel that the actors are all British. The set is spot on, the lighting could have been used to greater effect and Rupert & Harry have chemistry. I found it all convincing and beautiful. Yet I left wanting more which is no bad thing... - ndf | 18 Jan 10 |
| I thoroughly enjoyed this witty, edgy deconstruction of the Hollywood system and it's attitude to alternative lifestyles. The dialogue crackles, and the plot twists and turns deliciously. In Jamie Lloyd's elegant staging, Rupert Friend and Gemma Arterton make accomplished West End debut, while Harry Lloyd is spot on as the eponymous "little dog". The evening really belongs however to Tamsin Greig, turning in a venomously funny performance as a shallow, increasingly conniving Hollywood agent. Clearly having the time of her life, Greig is worth the price of admission on her own. Highly recommended! - ajh | 16 Jan 10 |
| This is the sort of play to put you off theatre for life. The script and plot was laughable whilst taking itself ever so seriously. I kept being reminded of the RENT parody in Team America. You could occasionally see in their eyes that the actors knew as much. Friend and Lloyd put in a tolerable performances - although both struggled to make their frequent mood swings believable - but Greig and Arterton were shrill and desperate. The staging was bizarre - beds appearing in some scenes only to disappear in others - so that Alex and Mitchell were sleeping together on the floor for no apparent reason. The spotlighting for 'important speeches' frequently missed the performers, and the bedroom scenes were so bright they wouldn't feel out of place in an episode of Hollyoaks. The only upside to this cynical staging of an appalling play was that it falls into the so-bad-it's-good category - a rare feat. - John | 10 Jan 10 |
