The Critic

Synopsis

Mr Puff, publicist par excellence, invites Mr Sneer and Mr Dangle, the ultimate theatrical hangers-on, to a sneak preview of his much-vaunted playwriting debut. In The Critic, you too can witness the catastrophic extravaganza that results when a media hack is visited by the tragic muse. A delightful satire on the make-believe world of the theatre and the darlings, gossips and pundits that surround it, The Critic is crammed with wit, hilarity and lovingly detailed human observation, including in the irresistible Mr Puff, one of Sheridan's finest comic creations.

Our Review:

Maxwell Cooter - 12 July 2010

Sixty five years ago, Laurence Olivier famously paired The Critic with Oedipus Rex, an audacious double bill that contrasted the deepest tragedy with the purest farce. This pairing at Chichester is more orthodox: both plays employ the ‘play within a play’ device and both have situations where the audience inextricably gets mixed up with the action on stage.

But one can also see some of the method in Olivier’s pairing. Sheridan’s satire is a brilliant parody on conventional tragedy and directors Sean Foley and Jonathan Church pull out all the stops in making sure that every gag hits home.

The plot is simple: Nicholas Le Prevost’s Mr Dangle is the eponymous critic. He finds himself at the rehearsal of Mr Puff, the self-proclaimed master of begging letters and self-promotion, whose execrable tragedy on the Spanish Armada is being rehearsed.

As Puff, the author of the ludicrous tragedy, Richard McCabe gets a succulent feast of a part and...

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Latest User Review

rds - 19 August 2010:

I've already covered this under The Real Inspector Hound because it was played as a two hander. If there is a star of the show it has to be Richard McCabe who gives a sensational performance as Puff and confirms his status as one of the finest actors on the British stage. We need to see more from this wonderful actor. The rest of the cast are as excellent and if I mention them all this will just become the cast list. Go and see it if you can get a seat and if not pray for a West End transfer - it truly deserves one....

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