Audience Reviews

 

The Beauty Queen of Leenane (20 July - 3 September)

Funny and heartbreaking, the best drama I have seen recently. A deceptively simple while inventive design: they cook real porridge and the water pouring from the plastic sheets outside the hall gives a perfect impression of a persistent rain. The performances are faultless. Thank you very much indeed.
Irina Voskoniants

I came to see Beauty Queen last night, and can categorically say that it's one of the best, most moving pieces of theatre I've seen in years. Beautiful and brutal, disturbing and delightful in equal measure. Pure class. Thanks for a great performance.
Emma Reynolds

Excellent production, including a great set which required the audience stepping out into the Connemara weather - brilliant. Having traveled a number of times from Mid Wales to see a production at the Young Vic, I have never been disappointed but this was one the the best.
Graham Haslock

It was brilliant, the whole cast, even the local dialect, absolutely amazing. Also, the interactive rain, was really inspired, I could have been in Connemara.
Patricia Mcdermott

 

Government Inspector (3 June - 9 July)

Overwhelming in the most amazing way! Surreal, brave and set at a perfect pitch; when watching the Government Inspector I got a sense I was watching history being made. A brilliant adaptation and a fantastic cast brought the satire to life. When it returns I will happily watch it again.
Jessica Reid


Brilliant – costumes, set and acting. 5*Production enjoyed every minute
June B.


We thoroughly enjoyed Government Inspector. It brought out Gogol's serious message--the paralysis of the Russian bureaucracy with the phoney camaraderie and the backstabbing--alongside brilliant comic acting. It was Monty Python in pre-revolutionary Russia. A wonderful production. 
Pam and Keith McCallum


FANTASTIC beyond belief. My children aged 12, 9 and 8 loved it and inspite of it's length, were totally engaged and enjoyed it.
SBL 


The production proved to be one of the most enjoyabletheatre experiences my wife and I have ever had, outstripping our already elevated expectations. The adaptation was brilliant, the actors remarkable, and the mixture of Russian dark humor and British comedic traditions was extraordinary-- Gogol meets Fawlty Towers.
Jon Jucovy

I just loved this play! A powerful production run by an extraordinary team; the cast generated so much energy so that I could not take my eyes from the scene even for one second;

I just don’t understand how these guys were able to carry on for hours and days, the most energetic play I’ve ever seen. I could watch this play forever! Excellent!

Kyle (the inspector) was absolutely fantastic as well as the others, all; is rare that you get to see so many good actors in one play. I also met Kyle on the street on Lower Marsh (I photographed him for my personal project - I am a local photographer), well, he is equally amazing outside of the scene. It was a pleasure to met Kyle and share my feelings about the play with him.

Well done guys, well done!
Ion Paciu


Great cast - all amazing performers - writer, director etc. To my mind, everyone “got” Gogol and made him come alive on stage.
christinax lee


I came with a friend last week and we both thought it was a tremendous production. Had seen it before played as more of straight comedy (if you can have that) and not quite as much of a farce, but this was brilliant and all the cast played their roles excellently. No room to mess about when the audience is as near as we were and every actor was great. Loved it all...
Zonie Bateman


Wow, wow and wow again.

From the minute we were led to our seat, we were 'in' the show! Walking through the backstage area and into the auditorium via Russia was a brilliant idea and led us wonderfully into another world. What a fantastic way to begin the show.

The acting was brilliant; the drama was wonderful - the rats, the rats - fantastic. The Young Ones mixed with Chekhov (I know - it was Gogol) and petty human beings all involved in their own little worlds..... What an experience. I LOVED IT!! The scenery, the dresses, the costumes, the sets, the design - all of it......... A totally amazing complete, rounded experience. Thank you xxx

(I feel to mention that on the way through, I spotted the bed and asked the potato peeling lady what would happen if we lay down on it. "You'd be on the stage when the curtains open!" was her reply. It took me back a hundred years ago to when I was a little girl, five years old maybe, when I was playing David Livingstone's mum at Sunday School - on stage, doing the knitting and saying good-bye to my (also five year old) son, before he rushed off to Africa. I was asthmatic and scared to death and unable to move so as Dr Livingstone went up river, his mum was still there - doing the knitting! Gosh, what a lovely memory - I really wanted to do it again! - this time, deliberately and - for Fun!!)

Anyway... Thank you again
Diane Skidmore


Enjoyed it very much. Thought the key performance was from the US actor who played "The Goverment Inspector" a tour de force, also Julan Barratt and his wife were very good.

Some of the secondary characters were a bit weak , maybe it was the script but they were not kind of vocally co-ordinated, if that makes any sense.
David Black


Extremely funny and surreal, at times felt like I was at someone's crazy house party and someone had spiked the punch bowl. Cast that stood out for me were Louise Brealey and Amanda Lawrence!
Nikki, London


Just to let you know I absolutely loved Government Inspector. The actors, the costumes... everything about it was brilliant! I went to see it four times, brought some friends along, and also my teenage sister. They all loved it!

My sister asked me to tell you guys that she had never enjoyed a play that much. And believe me, she's hard to please, so well done!

Also, you have the most wonderful staff :)

Thanks for the joy. Lots of love from France!
Anne


Gogol’s "The Government Inspector" in a new translation by David Harrower is a must-see at the Young Vic. The production is great fun with tremendous pace with an excellent cast. 

I have to admit that I did spend some time spotting the parallels between Julian Barratt’s corrupt and venal Mayor, who is desperately concerned about his image and whose approach to the public services for which he is responsible is more about how they look than what they do, and another Mayor closer to home. However, there were also elements of Kyle Soller’s “Inspector” that fitted with the real-life Mayor’s persona: the Walter Mittyesque fantasies to say nothing to his approach to the women in the cast...

Even if you don’t want to make dubious comparisons with today’s politics, you should still see "The Government Inspector”. But hurry, it is only on till 9th July.
Lord Toby Harris


Just wanted you to know how much I really enjoyed the government inspector . I thought the set and costumes were Brillant . The cast were equally amazing . It's one of the best and enjoyable productions I've seen for a while . Thank you ! It was a great night out.
Jo


Loved it, especially enjoyed Amanda Lawrence's performance as the postmaster. Loved the anarchic style which still retained the feel of the best of the world of farce. Couldn't believe it when I read that Kyle Soller is American, what an authentic English accent. Love to find theatres doing something "different".
Siobhan L.


I thought this show was dazzling.

Noises Off, The Office, Basil Fawlty and The Misanthrope all rolled into a high speed roller coaster.

I loved it.
Clare


The performance of the Government Inspector I went and saw on Tuesday 21st June was absolutely magnificent. All the actors did terrific jobs and I really enjoyed every second of it. The idea of giving the audience copies of the play instead of a programme was brilliant - I read the whole thing before the play had began and during the interval. If this play ever did a re-run, I guarantee you I would be first in line to see it. Once again, thank you Young Vic for putting on a terrific show, the courtesy you showed me, and the play instead of programme idea, and to the actors and director - you MADE the show incredible! Thank you all for a wonderful evening.
Heather


Like a bumper edition of Fawlty Towers, with all the satire of Spike Milligan.

Great stuff.

Gave us a lift!
Andrew Baker


What a great way to start the weekend!  My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed it – the acting was superb and each cast member seemed to be enjoying themselves.  It was a bit of a shock when we saw the twins in the checked suits as we expected them to take their hats off and low and behold “Jedward”.  Laugher is so rare these days – it was a treat.
Annabel

 

 

 

Kafka's Monkey (19 May - 11 June)

I enjoyed the show very much. Kathryn Hunter is an extraordinary actress, in a very measured and excellent interpretation, never exasperated (an easy way to fall in acting that kind of character). Physically powerful and intense. Good direction but not at the same level of the actress. Compliments for your season and your artistic policy. I will be back to your theatre from November to see all your shows. Great marketing, through your e-mail service and your requests of spectator feedback, you make your audience feel part of your theatre, giving responsibility to every spectator as it has to be. Very different from Italy where theatre doesn’t care about the result and the good productions. Thank you very much. See you soon.
Micaela Miano


We thought that Kafka's Monkey was a riveting piece of theatre which had us entranced, laughing, sad and thoughtful.

Kathryn Hunter was marvellous and I am so glad that our daughter, Kate Perry, who lives in France said we should try to see the production. she was so right and so sad not to be able to see it too.

Thank you Young Vic for a wonderful evening.
Jane and Tony Perry


Aikaterini, you've done that Peter Brook thing again, 12 years on: you know, that business of burning images into the mind.

The image that your 1990 Claire Z burned was so deep that I was driven to directing a local version of you in that same play five years ago, and here you are again, creating another of those mental compact discs.

Your gift of going beyond involving the audience's rapt attention by willing us to participate physically in the story that you tell opens us to the magic and spell casting that great theatre achieves.

If that weren't enough (and it is), know that the head of diminishing hair in which you searched for fleas has become a sacred place: nor shampoo nor soap has touched the area since.

Very best wishes and many congratulations
Michael (Consden)


The best acting I have ever seen, Kathryn Hunter is superb. When I left the Young Vic I immediately phoned some of my friends to encourage them to book for the performance which was absolutely fantastic! 
Dolores Rice

 

Terminus (30 March - 16 April)

A stunning production which renews my faith in theatre, proving to me for the first time that it can be a vehicle to shock as well as astonish and enrapture. The performances were hear-a-pin-drop stunning and (always a good sign) halfway through I vowed I wanted to see it again as soon as possible. Brilliant work by the entire team on a play that is truly modern (rather than merely "topical") and hugely inventive, without being "clever" or "showy" - whilst having its feet firmly in history and myth.
Stephen Volk


I went to see Terminus on Friday with my dad, and as I do Theatre Studies at A-Level, I had no trouble adapting to the monologue style of the play and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. However, because my dad is not used to plays like this, it took him a few monologues to get what was happening. On the train home, though, he couldn't stop telling me how much he loved the play and how "weird" it was. 

Definitely one of the strangest plays I've ever seen, but also one of the most enjoyable. Much credit to the actors who were amazing, but also the set designer, as I loved the broken glass effect. 

Thanks Young Vic for doing yet another wonderful show, and I look forward to seeing more in the future.
Sarah

Saw this on 16th April - amazing show, very talented actors and wonderful use of language to bring the story to life - who needs scenery and special effects? - a compelling performance!
Thanks!
Jane & Nigel Gibbens


We agree with all the positive reviews you posted. It was absolutely compelling. YV is consistently our favourite theatre venue- most creative, best value. Thank you. 
Maureen 


Terminus was amazing! What a great thespian experience and collaborative work. Well done, keep up the good work! 
Judie Cole


Terminus was a terrific surprise! We came not knowing what to expect and were dazzled by the language and poetry, and amazed by the skill of the actors who were brilliant. Very different, very exciting and kept our eyes riveted to the stage for the whole performance. Stunning!
Susan Kirby

 

The Return of Ulysses (24 March - 9 April)

We saw the Ulysses last week, and we were overcome by the splendour of the singing and the music and the staging. The power of the production especially the use of the excellent staging was tremendous. We have been regular operagoers for over forty years, and just a few productions have left lasting impressions, and this will be one of them. Spectacular were the arias in the Prologue and at the end of the very last scene. So many many thanks for organising this wonderful performance we shall always treasure. 
Alan & Lucy Shrank 

This last Saturday we saw ENO stage The Return of Ulysses at The Young Vic. I thought the modern set and the singing and the period orchestra were all outstanding. The contemporary setting and the set really worked a treat and detracted very little from the classical tale. Ulysses was cast as a soldier returning from the Middle East war zone probably with battle trauma (Gulf War Syndrome?). The intimacy of the small theatre really helped involvement with this extremely powerful production and, to cap it all, the programme notes were thoughtful and informative. Quite an evening out to remember. For me, Ruby Hughes, who sang Minerva, and Thomas Hobbs (Telemachus) were the voices of the evening.
Derek Brundish


Thank you so much for The Return of Ulysses. It was such a revelation, making me re-evaluate the work of Monteverdi, and realise at last his genius as a dramatist as well as a musician. He now seems the equal of Shakespeare in the way that he presents a range of individuals, and gives a voice to each. The intimate setting of the Young Vic and the astonishing production (at once intelligent and moving) by Benedict Andrews both contributed greatly to my positive reaction. I would now rush to see anything presented by Benedict Andrews and almost any opera at the Young Vic. I suppose it would be too much to ask that Andrews return to direct Orfeo or The Coronation of Poppea!
Thanks again
David Wootton


The Ulysses production was one of the best shows of any kind I've seen for years - deeply moving, modern, adventurous, funny and yet absolutley faithful to Monteverdi, the music and the opera's conception. Akin to watching the best Shakespeare or hearing the finest Bach, and at the same time something absolutely novel and of our time.
Judy Brown


We thought it was a fantastic production in every way.  Would love to see it again!! 
Vanessa 


Thank you to the staff who moved us into house seats when they saw the elderly lady I was with couldn’t manage the bar-stool! Really good show, and miraculously she recovered her short-term memory after seeing it! Shock therapy? Thanks again. 
Dr Brian Blandford


I loved this production as there was so much going on onstage. The playing and singing was of a very high order. I loved the Perspex box as a set though I did pity the poor 'maids' who had to spend so much time moping up after the volatile characters. Video screens can be distracting, but as the point was to reflect/undercut the main action it added another level to the action.
James Coyle


It's the fourth production of this I have seen and the best. The cast was universally excellent and unusually sensitive to the text as well as the notes. Seeing Tom Randle after a break of a few years reminded me of not only his fine voice but also his total commitment as an actor. It was especially good to see Pamela Helen Stephen in such good voice and as such a troubling presence after what must have been a horrible year for her. But it's unfair to single out members of an ensemble who worked well together. The band was convincing and a delight to listen to and Jonathan Cohen fully deserved his enthusiastic curtain call. All in all a thoroughly good night at the opera which, as all good productions should, stayed with me and made me think.
Richard Rathbone


We greatly enjoyed this collaboration between ENO and the Young Vic. The modern set provided a very relevant context for an Italian baroque opera based on Greek mythology. The intimacy of this theatre added greatly to the atmosphere. The singing , acting and playing were of the highest standard throughout. We hope there will be more such collaborations in future.
Paul and Janet Batchelor

Vernon God Little (27 January - 12 March)

This is slightly delayed but i just wanted to say that my partner and I are local resident and so we thought we'd take advantage of our local area and finally go see a production at the Young Vic, as we had both not been there before, i would like to say that Vernon God Little was a complete surprise, it was witty, compelling and brilliantly acted, if that is the standard of show the young vic puts on then we will definitely be back... AMAZING!!!
Rachael Boyce


On February 19, my boyfriend and I went to see Vernon God Little at the Young Vic.

We had both read the book some time ago, loved it and were curious to see it on stage. We were also wondering how it would be realised.

We had never been to the Young Vic before. Getting the tickets (booked on the internet) and going to our seats was one of the friendliest experiences we have ever had! All staff were outstandingly friendly. That was wonderful.

The play itself was beyond amazing. All actors were just magnificent, especially Joseph Drake, but really the whole cast was incredible! Such an incredibly complex role and he brought it to life so genuinely. I often forgot I was in a theatre. It was all so real, while of course being hilariously funny and cruel at the same time.

We loved the staging and the way the scene changes were incorporated into the play.

Everything was just wonderful and we will be coming to the Young Vic very often in the future!!!

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH for such a perfect theatre experience.
Lucia and Dave


I would just like to pass on my thanks and congratulations after seeing Vernon God Little with my sixth form group on Wednesday 23rd Feb.. The whole experience was excellent, the friendly box office, the pricing for school groups, the support with the education pack, and, of course the splendid production itself. The students rate it as one of the best things they have seen, and are still talking about it. Thank you again for showing the way forward for theatre.
David Prescott (Director of Drama, Bablake School, Coventry)


Although we had read the book we had no idea how this would be translated for the stage. From the opening moment we were transfixed by the imaginative staging, music and humour. The experience was such that we would have joined the next performance had there been seats available. We cannot praise the cast and production highly enough and now eagerly await the next revival so we can bring along friends and relatives who were denied such a treat!
Dennis Morris


This was a wonderful show, especially as we’d been given a bad review by friends and were full of poor expectations. Just goes to show how subjective a review can be. All four in our party thoroughly enjoyed the play – I was the only one who had read the book, but to be honest I preferred the play, which seemed to make more sense of the wild world inhabited by Vernon. My husband had the only criticism, which was of the accents, as he he found them difficult to understand and so missed a lot of the story, though he enjoyed the movement, the music and the innovative scene changes. We’re keeping an eye open for another Young Vic outing very soon.
Fran Panrucker


I thought this was an amazing production, if you tried to explain to somebody what you had seen, it would seem quite odd!

However the show is a magical mix of great talent, characters you care about, interesting use of shopping trolleys and music that helps brings the story to life.

Everybody is great but Joseph Drake is just fantastic and Peter De Jersey turns in a great performance.

A highly enjoyable , high energy piece of theatre that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you!
Linda


Thoroughly enjoyed our whole first time experience at the Young Vic a couple of weeks ago. Vernon God Little was brilliantly done, fast paced, funny and moving.

We ate in the bar downstairs before the show and were amazed at the high quality of the food for a fair price. Good menu choice and friendly, fast service.

Great buzz in the bars in the interval and definately won't be our last visit.

Thanks to all
Gill Hughes


What a great night out.

This was a a zany production about a zany world, hilarious but with deep undertones of life in the Southern States USA.

Great characters and set amazingly clever.

I would see it again.
Cathryn Trezise


Vernon God Little was fabulous. I attended a matinee surrounded by teenagers and it was wonderful to see what joy the performance brought to them. I wish all theatre visits were like this!
anon


Great show. Very funny and really inventive and creative set. Thoroughly entertaining evening. And what a bargain for just a tenner!
Hannah Shanks


It had the best ideas on set design that I have seen on stage!
Maria Hobbs


Having recently read Vernon God Little I had to see it adapted for the stage although I could not imagine how this would be achieved. I was blown away by the amazing production which far exceeded my expectations. The use of props was so inventive and the talent of the actors, singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and acting, was fantastic. This was my second time at the Young Vic, (I came to see Joe Turner’s Come and Gone last year) and both performances have been worth the 200 mile trip to London for. Keep up the excellent work!
Suzanne Sunter


I've not written a review before regarding anything but thought this deserved one! My first theatre trip since I saw Spamalot two years ago...this blew it out the water. Absolutely brilliant production (I'm ashamed to say I've not read the book yet). I was thrown from emotion to emotion and thoroughly gripped through out.

Utterly brilliant. Well done.
Karl


I took a group of friends to see Vernon God Little on Saturday evening and just wanted to say that it was fantastic - I detest musicals and yet this was one of the best pieces of theatre I've seen.
Simon


An absolute humdinger of a show.
Sophie Branscombe


Absolutely loved it!

Have recommended it to friends and family but unfortunately it’s the end of the run.

Bring it back!!
Hannah


Excellent!! Really enjoyed the show, very talented cast, clever use of scenery - particularly enjoyed the 'cars', and good use of music; will watch out for Joseph Drake in future - outstanding acting!
Jane & Nigel Gibbens


Just wanted to say that the production was wonderful, I loved everything about it. I left the theatre feeling very happy, such a feel good production. I absolutely loved all the characters, Joseph Drake as Vernon was especially awesome. I spoke to a colleague about it and she remembers seeing the original with Colin Morgan. I hope Joseph goes onto enjoy the same success!

Debra


Vernon God Little is a dramatisation of a book which shook the establishment in 2003 and picked up a Booker despite the fact that its author DBC Pierre had never written a book before. On stage it was presented at the Young Vic in 2007, directed by Rufus Norris. Now it is back at the same venue, same director but different cast and its better than ever.

Pierre spins his story about a 15 year old boy who is caught up in a murder case. His friend has just stolen Vernon's late pa's rifle and has shot 16 of their school friends and then topped himself. Vernon is found with a bag of the ammunition used and unused and he is implicated as an accessory although he was not there at the time.

In the small town of Martirio in Texas everyone believes he helped murder his school friends and everything he attempts to do to change people's opinions fails. The play is a satire about how commercialisation has taken over even criminal acts...How some will sell their souls for an appearance on TV and for money and Vernon is the scapegoat. He can virtually go hang.

The development of the plot is complex but there is one bad man who causes all the trouble and he is Vernon's mother's boyfriend. Even his mother is prepared to sell him down the drain for sex and is more concerned with the arrival of her new refrigerator than the possible death of her son.

The play gets funnier and funnier as all his apparent friends become his worst enemies and the boy runs away in fear to Mexico. The sequence in Mexico is not as amusing as the first act at home in Texas but Vernon has quite a time drinking and learning more about his sexual proclivities. Then the girl at home in whom he confides hands over his whereabouts to the police and Vernon finds himself back home and on trial...a really hysterically funny sequence.

On the way to being executed by injection he has an epiphany and manages to save himself by loving those that are plotting his death. His mother's ex boyfriend the cause of much trouble is killed by the police and Vernon returns to his errant mum and a new love for himself

Joseph Drake making his first stage appearance is outstanding. He is on stage fot three hours dressed and undressed, more dead than alive but he catches the boy's charm and resilience

The rest of the cast is good too but the play depends on its director and Norris is just great at solving its complexities with little furniture but clever changes. Then there is the music.. This is not just a play with words but every scene is underlined by the cast singing. It makes it such a great evening.

At the end the audience stood and cheered. They were right. Beg, borrow or steal a ticket. I guarantee you a great time.
Arnold Pearce


I was very moved by the book and wondered how you were going to turn it into theatre. Well, you did it and very well!

To me, the crux of the book was when Vernon is in his cell and gets to talk to the other prisoner. In the book I don't remember it being someone in a wheelchair, but the meeting stands out in my mind as the 'raison d'etre' of the whole story. So I was delighted to feel that you had (almost) achieved the same message in the play. I say 'almost' because book and play are 2 different approaches and the one can never replicate the other.

But, again, well done. It was really very good. Congratulations to the whole cast, director, adaptor of the book, etc, etc.
Ann Gordon


Extremely well acted, fun yet heart warming. I would thoroughly recommended this to anyone.
Nicola Grace


I took a group of friends to see Vernon God Little on Saturday evening and just wanted to say that it was fantastic - I detest musicals and yet this was one of the best pieces of theatre I've seen.
Simon Teare


Originally staged in 2007, Vernon has been a word of mouth piece that has encouraged the Young Vic to restage for 2011. There is undoubtedly a buzz surrounding the production, and as you enter the auditorium the atmosphere that a much younger audience contributes to heightens the anticipation.

It doesn’t disappoint. A very dark tale of a Texas high school student massacring sixteen of his classmates before turning the weapon on himself seems unlikely subject matter for an almost farcical, darkly riotous comedy. The action concentrates on the aftermath and media reaction to the events, with a cast of eccentric American Southern characters telling Vernon’s story as his part in the events is slowly revealed.

The very talented cast of ten embody over thirty characters which contributes to the high pace of the show. It’s not quite a musical comedy, but the placing of numbers by Johnny Cash and Patsy Clyne amongst others works really well. Sure to be a hit for the Young Vic all over again.
Martin Phillips


Gary and I came to see Vernon God Little on 4th February this year. It was our first time at the Young Vic and we throughly loved it. It was our 6 year anniversary, and a rare treat for us to be able to afford to go out and spoil ourselves for the first time in three years.

The play was fantastic. From the minute it started, until the last second, we were laughing, crying and astounded. Your use of space and facility was very impressive, and I just loved all the "cars". The agility of the cast was wonderful and I feel so priviledged to have been able to witness it rather then just dream of going to the theatre :-)

I had the luck to bump into "Vernon" at the tube station later on. Poor kid, I think I scared him! I must have looked like a mad old biddy, but I had to tell him how much we loved the show and how great he was. Unbelievable that he hasn't acted before.I'm still smiling every time I think about it and wish I could see it again.

Well done everyone, and thank you so much for a wonderful night.

Now, I wonder where I can find line dancing lessons near me.....
Niky


One of the things I love about the Young Vic is that, well, it feels young.

There is always a lively, Friday-night feel to the bar that you just don't quite get elsewhere and I also can't imagine any other theatre putting on a play such as Vernon God Little. I feel I should say this quietly but it's lively and fun, you see.

Based on DBC Pierre's Man Booker winning novel it is a modern tale of a Texas High School massacre but it is also a darkly comic satire on a society that has become materialistic, brand-obsessed and fame-hungry, preaching Christian values with as much thought as discarding a half-eaten Barbie-Chew-Barn chicken mix.

The book is richly comic and fast-paced and the Young Vic proved they could capture the essence of the story nearly four years ago with Tanya Ronder's original stage adaptation. The Young Vic also proved that you can pluck an actor fresh from drama school and give them a starring role to excel in.

Revived as part of the 40th Birthday celebrations this production once again captures the mad and morally insane world of protagonist Vernon who's best friend Jesus has gone on the shooting spree before turning the gun on himself. Thrust into world's media spotlight, Vernon's small Texas town of Martirio scrabbles around for someone to blame.

All the innovation of the first production is back, the desk chairs and sofa's that become cars, for example, as are the use of songs and music and occasional dance routines. It feels like you are watching a TV spectacular which I guess is the point but against all this chaos Vernon's story has to shine through.

Vernon is witty and confident but probably somewhere in the middle of the pack at school. His single mother is affection-starved latching on to any man that gives her attention, obsessed with getting a new fridge and what the neighbours think: If you could just get a job, help me with the bills, be normal, everything would be fine again, I know it would.

You have to believe Vernon is caught up in events beyond his own control, in essence the play only really works if you root for him, which is a difficult performance to pull off in the whirlwind of everything else that is going on.

He is rarely on his own on stage and the only real insight you get into his isolation is when he is talking to Jesus' blood spattered, guitar playing ghost, who has created the mess and left him in it.

Colin Morgan bowled me over as Vernon in the original production, a performance that leap-frogged his stage career, ironically, to a handful of plays at the Old Vic and then into the title role of BBC TV series Merlin.

oseph Drake this time takes up the reins and once again the Young Vic has cast well. There is a lot for a new actor to contend with - singing, moving bit of set, props, dancing, fighting and wire work but he takes it all in his stride pushing through to show the heart of the character.

In fact I couldn't choose a weak performance among the ensemble. In 2007 another rising star, Mariah Gale played the two girls in Vernon's life: Taylor and Ella. Gale is now a regular fixture in the RSC ensemble notching up Miranda in The Tempest and most recently the titular Juliet. Lily James took on the dual role this time, playing a superbly vampish, shallow and sexy Taylor next to the pre-pubescent yet sexually aware Ella.

And I couldn't get enough Johnnie Fiori as the larger than life, always jovial and food-obsessed Pam. Her incredible voice won spontaneous applause from the audience.

The performance I saw was an early preview and there were times when what was going on on stage did borderline chaos but I'm sure this will have been ironed out. Sound levels also need some work. Duelling guitars in the court room is a great idea but the actors were occasionally drowned out by the playing.

None of this spoilt my enjoyment - the teenagers in the row in front constantly checking their mobile phones nearly did until I had a word. The liveliness of the bar spilled over into the auditorium with the predominantly younger audience less reserved about audibly responding to what is going on on stage.

After the play reaches its toe-tapping, hand-clapping finale the encore really did feel like a genuine call for 'more please' and I might just have to steal myself along to Waterloo for a second viewing.

I give it five stars for pure fun and entertainment. 
Rev Stan


Vernon God Little is easily my 2nd favourite production of the 2010-2011 theatre season (spanning NY & London) - falling behind Earthquakes and London just due to the fact that I think it could have been about 20 minutes shorter.

Anyway, both of these shows (and Enron) prove how the British have managed to perfect a formula which NY audiences rarely get to see - the 'Play with Music'. Not quite a musical but with dancing and singing. Vernon God Little tracks the misadventures of a 16 year old in Texas whose best friend massacres his class with a shotgun. Society looking for someone to blame tags Vernon as the 'accomplice' in the crime setting off a chain of events that is both hilarious, disturbing and at times heartwrenching.

Rufus Norris's direction is both seamless and inventive --- managing to cover a wide variety of sets and locations with nearly all of the set pieces moved by the actors as part of the action, he creates a production that has more production value than most of the things I've seen recently on the large-budget Broadway and West End stages (yes I'm talking to you Love Never Dies...and SpiderMan). I spent the majority on the edge of my seat to see just what would come at me next: couches turning into police cars, a sheet utilised in a way that would make anyone who has ever directed Nine jealous, and so on. Not to mention quite possibly the best line-dancing number I've seen in a show - yes, really.

The cast was superb - as is usually the case in the UK - and Joseph Drake in the title role is definitely on my biggest-crush-list after this.

While some elements of the plot itself may have been drawn out and/or predictable, the way the characters and the production navigate them never was. It's worth a repeat visit for me and I highly suggest to see it if you can...this is not something that would survive well outside of a short-term run in an intimate space.
Greg Solomon


If you only see one show this year, PLEASE make it Vernon God Little.

I cried, I laughed, I cried again, and I laughed so much that I almost pooped (just like our unlikely hero, but NOT behind the gym!)

'Vernon' is to be warmly congratulated on his professional debut - what a role - and it is really hard to pick favourites from such a great ensemble, but for me Claire Burt really stood out as Mom; the satire was biting, the singing awesome, and her accent and characterisation just prefect. She's come a long way since the teenage 'May' in The Hired Man at Leicester Haymarket back in the Summer of 1984. Knew even on that first night she was going to be someone to watch.

The second act is so strong and powerful that I felt phsyically and emotionally drained at the end, but the brilliant curtain call picks you up and sends you out with a spring in your step and a belief that, after all, things aren't that bad.

And do you know what gives me the warmest glow? Someone having had the fantastic idea to combine the programme with the script, so you can sit on the train or in bed or at work that night/the next day/the next week and relive this very, VERY special night.

Brilliant, guys; absolutely BRILLIANT.
Mark Bennett


It is not very often that the stage version of a book is better than the original text, but that is definitely the case with the Young Vic’s revival of ‘Vernon God Little’. DBC Pierre’s Booker prize winning novel was good rather than stand out great for me, but in the theatre it is an outrageously funny dark comedy that had the audience splitting their sides with laughter throughout.

It is the story of Vernon, a high school kid from the heart of Texas, who unwittingly gets blamed as an accessory to murder when his friend massacres 16 of his classmates and their teacher in a Columbine style shooting, and then turns the gun in himself. Things go from bad to worse for poor Vernon, he gets blamed for all the ills in the county, and he runs away to Mexico to escape his troubles. I know it doesn’t sound ideal material for a musical comedy, but believe me it is fantastic, in a very black kind of way.

Directed by Rufus Norris, it is set to brilliant country music including the hits of Patsy Cline, Glen Campbell and Hank Williams. It features a stand out cast, including newcomer Joseph Drake as the unfortunate Vernon; Johnnie Fiori as Pam, his mother’s friend who always has a bucket of fried chicken at hand to ease his pain, and who has a pair of lungs to die for; and Peter De Jersey as the calculating Lally, who seeks to turn the misfortune of poor Vernon to his own advantage.

Ian MacNeil’s great set includes the most hilarious and innovative use of sofas ever seen on stage. The court room scene is hilarious. I can’t praise this production enough. If you are looking for a tonic for the winter blues – look no further.

Tennessee Williams is the play writer, who penetrates deep in your mind and heart once you identify with his heroes situations. The play was excellent and I have alteady recommended it to my friends. Looking forward to visit the theater soon.
Julia Coulton

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The Glass Menagerie (11 November - 1 January)

I watched the play with my daughter and although she is not much of a theater fan she enjoyed it as much as I did and thanked me for the opportunity I gave her. 

Tennessee Williams is the play writer, who penetrates deep in your mind and heart once you identify with his heroes situations. The play was excellent and I have alteady recommended it to my friends. Looking forward to visit the theater soon.
Marilena 


This production jolted me wide awake. Thank you. I went along tired out after work, knowing I loved Tennessee Williams on the page but with no particular expectations of anything other than hoping to  hear the music of the language as I remembered reading it and having  a nice night out with my mate.  The energy and skill of the cast, the giltter and oppression of the set..I was on the edge of my seat oh sod that it's a cliche but I was and it made me look at myself and at the writing and I was glad and sad and I cried for the broken stuff and for myself of course and I am  thinking about it still, what this production showed me and I am a self taught printhead not an academic not a regular theatre goer...but Young Vic I can afford the dosh and if this is indication of what I can learn hurrah! Be back soon.
Beryl Cross


Following my fiersome email after seeing On Ageing, I am really happy to tell you how much I enjoyed The Glass Menagerie. Four faultless performances, beautiful staging and sensitive thoughtful direction. THANK YOU. I will be back.
Paddy Grey


I absolutely loved this production and the cast were wonderful….it was a journey of laughter and sadness which has put me on a quest for more Tennessee Williams.
Mary Austen


Tennessee Williams would go on to write greater, more complex and profound plays than The Glass Menagerie (1944), his first big Broadway success. And yet there’s something about this early work that goes straight to the heart. With its thinly-veiled autobiographical elements, sometimes self-conscious poetic flourishes and flirtations with experimentation, The Glass Menagerie feels like the work of a playwright just on the cusp of finding his voice. Possessed of a slightness and quaintness that Williams’s later work would tend to eschew, it’s an almost-great play and that almost-greatness is, I think, part of what makes the piece so touching and endearing. Theatre producers would seem to agree about the play’s appeal given the amount of times that it’s been revived in the last few years. 2008 saw Brenda Blethyn tackling the role of Amanda in a touring production directed by Braham Murray that apparently emphasised the play’s comedy. The previous year saw the great Jessica Lange take on the role in a magnificent production in London’s West End directed by Rupert Goold that brought out the melancholy, lyricism and poignancy of the piece. With stunning work from Lange, Amanda Hale as Laura and Mark Umbers as Jim, the Gentleman Caller, it’s one of my favourite productions of all time.

Having loved Goold’s version so much I was somewhat trepidacious about seeing Joe Hill-Gibbins’s production of the play, which opens next Wednesday at the Young Vic and is currently in previews. But since I find it hard to resist a Williams fix, especially one that has such a strong cast (Deborah Findlay, Sinéad Matthews, Leo Bill and Kyle Soller) attached to it, I decided to give The Glass Menagerie another go. I couldn’t be happier that I did. Hill-Gibbins’s production doesn’t quite displace Goold’s in my affections but it’s undoubtedly a compelling and moving account of this most personal and elegiac of plays. The following remarks were written after the third preview of the play on 13th November. The protagonists of The Glass Menagerie are the Wingfield family: mother Amanda, daughter Laura and son Tom, a budding poet and frustrated shoe-factory hand whose direct-to-audience reminiscences structure the piece. Deserted by the children’s father - “a telephone man who fell in love with long-distances” - the family’s hand-to-mouth existence contrasts sharply with Amanda’s recollections of her past in Blue Mountain, Mississippi, a history that she furiously romanticises as she recalls the succession of “gentleman callers” who paid her visits. Like several of Williams’s female protagonists, conditioned to fear a future as “unmarried women … barely tolerated … and eating the crust of humility all their life,” Amanda sees a man as the key to the family’s hopes, and encourages Tom to bring home a work colleague, Jim, as a suitor for Laura. Jim’s visit provides the dramatic climax to the play; it's a classic scene in which the dreamy, disabled Laura - who's more at ease when playing with the glass animals in her collection than when engaging in human contact - is momentarily awakened out of her reveries, only to have her hopes cruelly shattered.

The talented Hill-Gibbins (who scored a big hit at the YV earlier this year with his revival of Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane) gives the play a tasteful, sensitive but not overly reverential staging here. Though it transforms the Young Vic in a striking way, at first glance Jeremy Herbert’s set looks rather ungainly, with a grim fire-escape surrounding the family’s apartment and a red curtain rising and falling on the action. But the space is fairly well used (though sightlines may be a problem from some seats), and the design - aided by excellent live piano music composed by Dario Marianelli and eloquent lighting by James Farncombe- succeeds in effectively presenting the drama as “a memory” that’s playing out (repeatedly, one feels) in Tom’s head.

But what counts the most in a work as intimate as The Glass Menagerie is the actors’ interplay and the four performances here are memorable and finely detailed across the board. Deborah Findlay is responsible for two of my most cherished stage performances (as Paulina in The Winter’s Tale and Mother Clap in Mark Ravenhill’s Mother Clap’s Molly House at the NT in 2001) and I was excited and curious to see her take on her first Williams heroine. It’s easy to reduce the oppressive Amanda to a monster figure - an over-bearing Mommy Dearest - and Findlay is excessively brassy at times; hollering “Rise and shine!” at Tom she sounds more like a sergeant major than a Southern belle. But if the performance lacks the inventive lyricism that Lange brought to the role, Findlay still finds plenty of variety in the character: humour, anger, flirtatiousness, as well as a clear-eyed practical streak that offsets Amanda’s silliness and bullying interference in her children’s lives. “There is much to admire in Amanda,” Williams insisted, “as much to love and pity as there is to laugh at,” and the actress succeeds in unearthing some of those grace notes throughout. Findlay is at her funniest when Amanda is swinging into fluttery, gracious-hostess overdrive, but she gives the character dignity too. This is an Amanda who has clearly learnt the hard way that life requires “Spartan endurance.” Findlay’s well-modulated performance shows the toll that Amanda’s behaviour takes on her children, as well as the deep affection and concern that motivates her.

As Tom, Leo Bill expertly conveys the character’s deep frustration and his saving wit (“I’ll rise - but I won’t shine”); he handles the audience-address with great skill and there are lovely, surprising details in the performance: his look of disgust as he watches Amanda schmoozing Jim is prodigious. The always-original Sinéad Matthews makes a superb Laura; her scratchy, emotion-filled voice and jerky movements (never overdone) pierce the defences. Playing one of the first of the misfit-dreamers to whom Williams plays consistently give voice, Matthews endows the character with fragility and an odd resilience, and even her sometimes-wavering American accent seems an eloquent expression of the character’s tentativeness. I never thought I’d see a better account of the candle-lit scene in which Laura connects with Jim than that played by Hale and Umbers in the Goold production. But the sequence is just as powerful and affecting here, and Kyle Soller is absolutely wonderful at revealing both the conceit and the sense of disillusionment lurking under his Gentleman Caller’s easy affability. All four actors show sensitivity to the rhythms of Williams’s dialogue, the gorgeous, robust language that melts the heart: “We have to do all that we can to build ourselves up. In these trying times we live in, all that we have to cling to is - each other…”

What Hill-Gibbins and his team are so good at bringing out is the play’s acute analysis of family dynamics, and the sense of entrapment and desire for escape, love mixed with cruelty and repression, that characterises the Wingfields’s interactions and makes the play one of the most perceptive works ever written on the complexity of parent-child (and sibling) bonds. Full of feeling and insight, this is an excellent production that deserves to be a big success.

The play ran for 2 hours 40 minutes on Saturday night. It’s booking until 1st January. So go!
Alex Ramon

 

Faust (25 September – 30 October)

It was a very enjoyable night and Nick cave's music was perfectly matched to all the scenes. 
Jan Winkle 


Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts about "Faust". I was so impressed by the performance that I considered writing an old-fashioned letter to convey how very much I enjoyed it. I posted some of my thoughts on my blog, though I don't think I captured how viscerally thrilling, surprising, moving, and thought-provoking I found the performance I saw on Saturday the 9th. Here's a snippet of what I said: "The physicality of the show is its major strength; even just watching it I was exhausted at the end. It really was engaging for every moment of its two hours. I felt there was less applause than the show deserved, though personally I was so drained after having been involved by such an immersive performance that applause didn't seem the right reaction. If there were a way to convey approbation through utter silence I would have done so, because so much more than applause was deserved."

Thank you again, and I hope you extend the run so I can come see it a second time.
Caitlin McDonald


This was an amazing performance of Faust, by the Icelandic company Versturport. It was both outstanding in its gymnastic performance and thought provoking - just wonderful all round. The intended moral was sort of turned on its head in a strange way. 
Angela 


We saw Faust with our children (15 and 8) and found it absolutely fabulous. Our daughter (8) found it a bit frightening but enjoyed it nonetheless. Our son (15) who is quite hard to impress was duly awed.

It takes a good author to reduce Faust from the many hours of Goethe and still keep the plot coherent. Only the end seemed a little too sudden and less convincing than the rest As a spectacle it was thrilling- extremely well choreographed and played. The elocution and delivery of the Icelandic actors would put many of our countrymen and women to shame. I hope the group can be persuaded to do more shows in this idiom and to visit London more often. (One show I saw years ago in Cambridge which they might consider is Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters which can be camped up to provide a really entertaining play for a wide range of ages).

Well done. I look forward to our next visit to the Young Vic (after an interval of maybe 25 years when I last saw Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead!).
Ian Gaunt


Great characters, set, and acrobatics, but felt slightly disappointed that rather than experiencing greater joys than the human mind has ever known, he just got to shag his nurse. The former is hard to stage, I admit.

On a separate subject, I was very pleased to see Palestinian olive oil on the menu in the restuarant, as a distributor of Palestinian olive oil myself.
Greg Addington


My AS & A2 Students loved Faust as did my colleague and I. It's energy was invigorating and the wit and intelligence of the adaptation made the two hours fly by. This is the third Vesturport production I have seen and they never fail to impress me with their inventiveness and I love that they couple a very dark edge to their work with a sense of humour. I only wish it had a few more dates so I could see it again.
Sarah Waterman, Palmer's College


It's only the interval but the first half has been the very best of theatre. Everything is excellent - script, performances, staging, art direction, acrobatics, music. We're so looking forward to the second half!
Simon Wallace


A glorious, engaging, thrilling, exciting and inventive piece of Theatre. Just sitting and watching an ‘ordinary’ play in future is just not going to be the same..you have spoilt us!

Thanks so much, we look forward to more from this amazing and talented Theatre company.
Sam and Steve Wilde


I loved FAUST. I had seen METAMORPHOSIS at the Lyric a few years ago, but I didn't know that the same people were behind this production.

The acting was superb, and there were moments of utter magic - most memorably, when the woman he loved (so beautiful!) slowly pirouetted on Faust's outstretched hand.
Huw Spanner


Can you think of a cooler combination for a theatre production; Icelandic actors, sound by Nick Cave and script by Goethe...? No? Well it seems pretty perfect to me too. I'm happy to say that Vesturport's Faust didn't disappoint! 

It's a contemporary re-imagining of Goethe's poetic masterpiece first released to the world in 1808 and it's staged in a way that the story has never been done before. Dr Faust's scientific lab has been replaced by a chessboard in an old folks home and Mophisto (satan) is dressed as a sinister clown instead of the customary devil attire. The story remains essentially in tact: Old man wants to feel alive again, falls in love with a young woman (his nurse) trades his soul to the devil for one chance of happiness in exchange for eternal damnation... But the way the story is told is so unique, exciting and rock and roll!

Firstly, the use of netting and trapese tricks around the stage and over the sitting audience was visually stunning. Secondly Mophisto's helpers (not in the original) Lilith and Asmodeus are fun and sexy, full of blood and lust and lastly the apple of Fausts Eye (Greta) is a smoking hot Icelandic beauty who bares her breasts in the love scene and blows the stage apart with her combination of sex appeal and innocence.

Where Vestaport and Reykjavik City Theatre get it oh-so-right it that the eternal story of youth is told in a young and fun way! The cast bounce of the walls, swear, snap old peoples necks and basically have no regard to classical restraint. It also contains some very wise philosophical truths in the updated script, for example 'every man can be cured with a damn good fucking.' Indeed! Goethe's Faust was avant-garde when originally written and Gisli Orn Gardarson (Director) ensures that the story is still fresh and daring over 200 years later!

The stage design featuring a chess themed old folks home at Christmas time conjures connections with Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' and Ingmar Berman's 'The Seventh Seal', both dealing with old age and dirty deals with the devil (or a ghost).

This show was hand down the best theatre production I have seen all year, scratch that, ever! It has inspired me to do a remake of the story myself... As of today I will be researching and preparing 'Faust and the Furious' for the Edinburgh Fringe in 2011! The old doctor does a deal with the devil while racing his souped up Honda Civic turbo around the streets of Los Angeles... 
Pete Williams


I saw Faust last week with a friend who did not know the work. She was very moved and affected by the play, and wondered why I was not. I think it is because I have seen similar "wild" productions of Faust over the past 45 years and I found this performance gimmicky and rather "messy", and I thought the acting was wooden in places.

I'm not generally a nostalgic type, but I still prefer the Gruendgens production of Faust (1960s!) over all others!!

As ever though, a wonderful, friendly venue with great foyer and restaurant!
Gayna Walls


One of the most exciting, original productions I have ever seen watched my yours truly in the front row. Mouth slightly open most of the time in a silent gasp! Funny, touching, live performance at its best.
Jean Anderson

On Ageing (27 September – 9 October)

Thought-provoking, surprising, enjoyable piece of theatre.
Annette Sacks


I was there during the preview and was really impressed by the Young Vic as an experience. The fact that it’s a children cast helped keep the balance of the dark message one is tempted to read through. It makes you think and ponder. My favorite quote: “Ageing is when you realize that you don’t have a plan B”. How true !
Aysha Selim (Cairo, Egypt)


I thought that the young actors were superb and would have liked to know what they, themselves, made of it and, in particular, what they had learned about old age during the production.
Diane Andrewes


I had very high hopes for this piece. I have a particular interest in the topic having an MSc in Life course Development, and a passion for the theatre. My expectations were certainly met at the start - the originality, the natural performances, the impression given by the gradual accumulation of the clutter. I did, however, think that it lost its way and ultimately resembled an improvisation.
Jean Anderson


Just wanted to say how touched I was by this production ON AGEING. It was a stroke of genius to use children to comment on the ageing process. I loved how each child entered on stage and spent slow moments casting their eyes over us, the audience.

The performers different mannerisms and voices, their ways of looking and standing managed to convey a richness about different kinds of human beings.

The use of objects in the production eg. shoes suggested life-span. All the clutter of a lifetime was conveyed through the clearing of an attic , and the very relaxed way in which the performers interacted with these objects and each other was brilliant. The use of T.V. pictures was both poignant and soothing as we watched images of sea,grass and sky suggesting life's transience and the endless cycle of renewal and decay. Highly recommended.
Sarah Strong, London, age 61


On Ageing is utterly engaging from the very start. Profound, moving, funny and beautiful. I have recommended it to all my friends as unmissable. The evident depth of research, understanding and artistic sensitivity are fast becoming hallmarks of Fevered Sleep; I would hate to miss any of their shows

...AND...

the time we spent in the theatre was experiencing a moment of time at full capacity - time intensified and lived to the full - what theatre does best. Congratulations!
Lottie Davies

 

 

The Human Comedy (13 – 18 September)

I am delighted to provide a brief review of “The Human Comedy”.

I am a regular theatregoer, west end, fringe and regional, and I was utterly thrilled with the Young Vic’s production of “The Human Comedy.”

This was a truly uplifting, exciting theatrical experience, life affirming and satisfying. I was buzzing for days. Both the professional cast and the community-led chorus were superb and the staging was highly inclusive, bringing the audience into those small-town American lives and adding resonance to a touching book and a beautiful score. The audience at the venue was refreshingly diverse and this reflected in a feeling of vitality and originality in the atmosphere. The choice of show was ambitious and suggests a theatre prepared to innovate and explore. The prices are highly affordable and open up theatre to the widest possible audience.

Now I know what the Young Vic has to offer I am excited to have discovered you and only regret having left it so late. I am looking forward to future productions at the Young Vic and to introducing friends and family to your excellent venue.
Penny King


Sadly I was not bowled over by the show. A more apt name would be Human Tragedy. The songs were in the main depressing. On the plus side the actors were good especially the main young man on the bike and the young boy who opened the show, Brenda's appearence was also very good and did lift the mood. And again on the plus side the involvement of any community has to be applauded. The set was excellent and enthusiasm evident but not a show I would see again.

Keep up the good work and I look forward to my next visit.
June Kernahan


Brilliant evening. I very much enjoyed this production of Galt MacDermot’s musical. The music and singing were terrific but could not hide the essential sentimentality of the story. I have not read William Saroyan’s original story but I found it very hard to accept that in 1940’s America Black soldiers would be treated as equals by their White counterparts. The relationship between Homer’s brother and his Black comrade-in-arms seemed to me to be based on wish fulfilment rather than reality. Was the soldier Black in William Saroyan’s story? Did the writers of the musical make him Black? Or was it a casting decision? If the decision was a casting decision it’s a case of integrated casting not working. I know that many returning Black soldiers were in fact beaten up by White racists and that President Truman was forced to act following a campaign for justice for a blinded Black soldier. Incidentally the campaign was led by Orson Welles. Otherwise I loved the show. 
John Petherbridge 

 

The Beauty Queen of Leenane (15 July – 21 August)

Brilliant evening. We were a bit worried when we saw the water running down the walls but once the play started we felt right at home. The cast were very good, and we were particularly impressed that they all had the same regional accent, not every production manages that. The best part of watching the play was the way in which the seating is arranged. Sight lines were excellent and there was a real feeling of community amongst the audience. The man behind me had even brought his own packet of Kimberleys with him to share.
Kathleen Hanna


I'm so thrilled I managed to see this production.

I saw the play at the Duke of York's many years ago and thought that seeing it once would spoil a second viewing. Not at all!! In fact, the cast in your production brought so much more to the script. It was truly wonderful and deserved a longer run.

Thank you to everyone involved in this great production.
Margot Scannell

A terrific play and superb acting. Altogether a very enjoyable evening.
Veronica

I thought the play was excellent, both funny and shocking, the cast of four were all brilliant and the set was designed to perfection for atmosphere, brilliant detail that gave you a first class feeling for the setting and date. Well done to all concerned.
Virginia Graham


Have to say this was a wonderful production. Terrific in every way. Incredibly good value for concession tickets. Best play I've seen in ages.
Christine Brandon


We loved it - everything - and think it should transfer soon to a bigger theatre - West End or National perhaps - to give others a chance to see it. We are still talking about it and wondering who was to blame at the end! Mustn't give any more away!!
Valerie Richards


That was honestly one of the best pieces of theatre I’ve seen in years. It’s the hope of seeing a play like that that keeps me coming back to the theatre in anticipation of seeing something truly faultless. By my calculations it happens about once every three years, and it makes all the other dross I’ve seen in the interim worth enduring.
Jennifer Reynolds


This is the fourth production of Beauty Queen of Leenane I've seen over the years and it remains my all-time favourite play! The others were dark but this was even darker and all the better for it. Terence, Rosaleen, Susan and David's performances worked off each other beautifully! Well done to all concerned! (Thought soaking the audience on the way in was a bit gratuitous, though!)
Paul Pearce-Couch (Journalist, Writer & Broadcaster)


We saw this last week and thought the staging was very evocative and the performances outstanding. Maybe an era which no one would want to relive and a stark reminder of how selfish and conniving some individuals can be. The characters were all totally convincing – it touched the heart. An excellent play.
Linda and Michael Tudor


Excellent production, brilliant performances – congratulations. Felt exhausted at the end of it.
Irene Haicalis

Superb bitter/sweet play with compelling acting. Wonderful set and effects - one could almost smell the peat fire and sizzling flesh. This play is top quality entertainment. My only regret? That I won't get the chance to see it again.
Ann Wake

Simply perfect. The family tension the audience is catapulted into is all the more remarkable because they are so very real. I come from a family where mothers behaved like the character Rosaleen Linehan played to such perfection. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it a week ago. Many, many thanks to the production team, the wonderful actors, and of course the man himself:Martin McDonagh.
Val Harden

One of the great productions we have been at this year and this decade: terrific writing, huge performances and with so many connections to issues that other astounding playwrights have raised.

Huge pleasure enhanced by having the opportunity to meet and talk to Susan (Lynch) after the show.

We continue to wonder how differently the play would have delivered, had a much plainer looking actress played Maureen and replaced Susan's undeniable sexiness with self-conscious gawkiness particularly when dressed for her night out - director's prerogative of course to choose their considered best for each part.

But please, please, with that soggy mess outside the patched up back door setting the pace for detail and accuracy, carry it through to the contents in mother's poe: at our Monday performance, those contents were clear and fresh enough to drink: please, in the remaining performances, yellow up that supposed urine and, if you can raise steam in the scalded hand incident, why not lend a little of it to the pee contents?

Very best wishes and all our good wishes to cast and back stage for laying before us such a terrific production.
Mike & Judy


A splendid piece of theatre. The theme was hardly new - deprivation and frustration in an Irish rural backwater - but the dialogue and plotting (by Martin McDonagh) was outstanding. All four actors were superb ; and though the Young Vic is a very scruffy venue (and it was jam-packed) it was the best play we have seen in years.
Denis Vandervelde, London


Thoroughly enjoyed the show. The actors were all wonderful and me being Irish and of a certain age now am familiar with that sort of homelife during that period.

Well done to everybody!!!!
Doreen Carty

What wonderful captivating play, and what a fantastic modern theartre, we will be back!!
James Cahill


My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed the play and the actors were outstanding. One needs to have a good laugh in this day and age!

Keep up the good work.
Annabel
 

My friends and I came to see The Beauty Queen of Leenane on Saturday, 7th August and found it FANTASTIC! We all enjoyed it immensely. We have raved about it since to all our friends!
Linda Bartlett
 

We were hooked from the get-go. What a deliciously devilish and entertaining way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The four players were superb and Susan Lynch's performance as the downtrodden Maureen was magnificent. And what a devil, her mother Mag was! Excellent acting from Rosaleen Linehan. This is a play that we will remember for a long time to come. Thank you Young Vic for making our visit a memorable one!
Susan Munslow


Excellent performances. This is the first time I have seen any of McDonagh’s plays so it was very interesting to finally see some of his work.

I would certainly recommend it – beautifully staged and acted. The set was perfect – having visited the west of Ireland for holidays over the past 50 years I felt it was very authentic. I even recognised the packaging of the porridge from my supermarket trips in Mayo!

I only have one query and that is about the pronunciation by one of the actors of the place name Oughterard. The actor pronounced it OO-TER-ARD. However, I have never heard anyone in Galway/Mayo pronounce it in that way – it is a much stronger, more decisive sound: OCK-TER-ARD (I think from the Irish ‘Uachter Ard’).

A very interesting and impressive play with wonderful performances from all the cast.
Mary Duffy


Thank you for asking. I don’t suppose you will feed this back, but I thought it was an error to put Susan Lynch in an elegant satin nightgown. She is too gorgeous as it is and the script explicitly refers to her “bra and slip”. She has to look pretty dreary in that scene. Otherwise – a marvelous production, truly.
Thomas Dillon


I loved this first time round. So I was a bit nervy about the revival - great anticipation tinged with fear that hindsight might have tinged my judgement. It hadn't.

A very different production, and very different casting: not better or worse, just different and brilliant.. I loved it. So, interestingly, did my black Cuban partner, whose first language is Spanish - you could hardly imagine a bigger cultural gulf.

Controlling-mother, bitter-yet-impotent-daughter relationships are clearly universal.
Roger Nuttall


I am so glad I managed to get a ticket for this as soon as I saw it was on - I have always liked the play a lot but never seen it. And this was indeed as the reviews said, pitch-perfect: the set, the accents, the direction, the acting, the music, the lighting, all were as good as they could possibly be.

Maybe the play is so good that it would be difficult to do badly! But it is certainly a major achievement to do it so very very well.

Congratulations all round. One of the most excellent shows in a golden age of theatre in London right now.
John McRae


I loved it when i first saw "The Beauty Queen" in the 90s and this time I booked tickets for my family knowing they would love it too. We're still talking about it. Rosaleen Linehan and Susan Lynch were totally convincing as twisted mother and embittered spinster daughter and so many darkly comic laugh-out-loud moments to alleviate the stark cruelty. Very well supported by David Ganley as the gentle suitor and Terence Keeley's Ray added to the bleakness of that inescapable landscape. Simple but effective staging lent a sense of authenticity to the cold and damp west of Ireland where many a cottage interior still looks just like that. Well done for putting on such an enjoyable and satisfying revival. Please bring back the other two.
Suzie, East Dulwich.


Saw it last night with my daughter aged 24 - we were both spell bound shocked and thrilled - absolutely brilliant dialogue set and cast - awesome!
Debora Everard


Despite being keen theatregoers this was our first time at the Young Vic and we were not disappointed. The entire cast were excellent and it was a very funny, dark and moving play and we are certainly looking forward to coming to future productions.
Cat Finlayson


I bought a ticket having seen the actress Susan Lynch being interviewed on BBC Breakfast TV. I've never done anything like that before and was blown away when I saw the play on Saturday. I really did feel I was part of the furniture. Amazing play - go get a ticket now, if you can!
R Hubbard

Brilliant play, wonderful direction and excellent performances by the whole cast which kept the intense interest of the audience right to the end! The unexpected end of the story left us with a gasp and a sense of real entertainment on a Saturday night. I would recommend it to all serious theatre goers!! 
Egli Nicolaidou


Always a bit wary of the ability of live theatre to suspend our disbelief, we arrived at The Young Vic with a mixture of sensible optimism and the scepticism of experience.

The lack of West End architecture gives the theatre a refreshingly provincial feel, the audience is relaxed, uninhibited and even interactive (I heard plenty of Irish accents around me and wondered whether this is a cultural thing?). This was brilliant, as engaging a play in terms of humorous observation of human nature, language and behaviour and structural crescendo as I have ever seen. I had booked tickets on the basis of the only other Martin McDonagh work we had seen-'In Bruges'-and wasn't disappointed, the inextricable anger and humour soon beating you about the head. The three central performances were-as The Guardian said-pitch perfect, the characters a counterpoint of ingrained bitterness and manipulation, desperation, and warmth and compassion.

I wholeheartedly endorse the Evening Standard's assertion that, at £19.50 (and our 15 year old son's ticket was only £10), this is the best deal in town.
Sian Conlon


They loved it! It was the dark comedy aspect they enjoyed the most, they were not sure whether to laugh or not. 
Teacher, Dunraven School


I thought it was really well performed, designed and produced. The set at the Young Vic always impresses me in terms of their practicality. Costumes were great too. The outfits that the daughter wore were perfect and I loved the fact that Ray never changed.
Student, Dunraven School


It was one of the best plays I have seen at the Young Vic. 
Student, Dunraven School


It was brilliant. The best play I have ever seen! My opinion of each character were continually changing which kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the fact that when the front door opened you could see the side of the house and the lawn.
Student, Dunraven School


I really didn’t expect the ending! Great twist, the old mother was hilarious and Ray was an amazing actor.
Student, Dunraven School


I thought it was quite predictable until the end when the twist completely threw me.
Student, Dunraven School


I really really enjoyed the production, I thought it was the best yet, I thought it was a fabulous dark comedy.
Student, Dunraven School


One of the best productions I have ever seen.
Student, Dunraven School


Meaning no offence to any of the other productions I have seen, but this is by far the greatest play the Young Vic has ever put on, and I would gladly pay to watch it again. Both the acting and chemistry of the play worked beautifully together. Rays costume was the best as it reflected his youth and never changed.
Student, Dunraven School


The Piñata of plays, colourful characters, easy to enjoy, filled with treats, a violent ending and over too quickly.
Nick - Someone who knew nothing about the play prior

As cultural 'blow ins' from Australia we always look forward to catching a play or two either at the Old Vic and for the first time last Saturday at the Young Vic.

And we must say, we were not disappointed.  We both loved the staging - walking through the 'Irish' rain in to the intimate setting around the stage. That was only the beginning of a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon spent there.  This is a beautifully written play with superb actors and beautiful staging - very well done.  We have told quite a few of our friends here that it is imperative that they come and see it. 

So well done everyone involved in this fabulous play. Thank you again for giving us a most enjoyable Saturday afternoon.
Edith and Timothy Cragg of Battersea and Sunshine Coast, Queensland


Thank you for such a superb performance. One of the highlights of the year.  But..please get some more comfortable seating. Back when the RSC used the Warehouse, they had orange plastic chairs, and I judged a play by how aware I was of the discomfort. Your seating is worse! (Or maybe I'm just a lot older, but you don't pass the bum comfort test at all.)

But thanks again for last Saturday.
Connie Anderson


It was the darkest play I have ever seen! It was beautifully staged and the acting was impeccable; they have created characters that are at once repellent yet loveable. The audience loved it and were with it at every moment – there were plenty of laughs and the cruel humour and intakes of breath in some of the darker moments! I have never been to a play where the audience clap after every scene. It is a great play, a great performance and definitely worth seeing.
Helen, Streatham


Martin McDonagh was one of the freshest playwriting talents to emerge in the 90′s and this was his first play and the first in the Connemara trilogy of black comedies – well, all his work is black comedies! I think we might have lost him to films after the success of In Bruges which he wrote and directed, so we might have to make do with revivals like this. Fourteen years on, Joe Hill-Gibbons has given us a cracking second look at this play and it’s to his credit that it still seems fresh. Ultz has designed a brilliantly realistic cottage and there’s a lovely touch in that you have a peep behind the scenes on the way to your seats.

It’s the story of a 40-something virgin spinster who falls for a local man who falls for her. She seems to have found the escape manual but underestimates the deviousness of her manipulative old mother. This is the blackest of black comedies with torture and murder and moments after you’ve stopped laughing you find yourself turning your eyes away from the stage to avoid something truly gruesome.

Rosaleen Linehan is terrific as the mother who plays psychological mind games; it may make you recollect being on the receiving end of similar! Susan Lynch is an appropriately naive yet manic daughter and David Ganley was so good as her prospective husband Pato that he got a round of applause for his monologue at the start of Act II. Terence Keeley turns Pato’s brother Ray into a bit of a caricature but it doesn’t detract from the play.

I suspect we’ll see a lot more McDonagh revivals; lets hope they’re all this good.
Gareth James


A great play, stunningly staged and performed by its 4-strong cast.  Lots of audience reaction the night we were there - gasps, shrieks, sudden intakes of breath when the dreadful Mag was eyeing Pato's letter.  Peerless attention to detail in the costumes (eg.mud on the shoes).  What more can you ask than to laugh and have your heart broken all in one evening?  Please put on the other two in the trilogy...
Sue Fletcher

Funny, sad and shocking – an absorbing play with strong performances that left me thinking about it for days afterwards.
Casey


I thought the show was superb with some really wonderful, honest, truthful work. The two women were astonishingly good - a joy to watch. I thought the direction was superb and it was a privilege to be in the audience.
Anonymous


I really enjoyed it. I found it very entertaining. I enjoyed the story and I liked the different relationships between the characters. I liked the set, and the costumes matched the character’s personalities.
Student, Lewisham College


The characters looks so much fun to watch… I wouldn’t mind playing them. The set is simple but it works really well with the story and characters. I love the accents.
Student, Lewisham College


The production was really funny and filled with mixed emotions. I found things sad at points, but thought the characters bought plenty of humour to the performance. The characters especially the mum were really funny. The set made me feel right and home and I could really believe that I was there. The costumes suited each character and their personality. I enjoyed the visit and would hope to see plenty more shows here.
Student, Lewisham College


Amazing I loved it! BEST I HAVE SEEN HERE!!
Student, Lewisham College


Very funny. Wasn’t expecting it to be as funny as it was. The characters really engaged me and kept the story alive.
Student, Lewisham College


Amazing, great acting and the real life situations were great. The set and costumes were really effective and suited every scene for the story.
Student, Lewisham College


The set is really good. I like the fact you can see the outside of the house.
Student, Lewisham College


Universally well received although some of them were shocked at the matricide and had complex feelings about that because she clearly ‘deserved’ punishment.
Teacher, Lewisham College


What was interesting was the ability to pull off dark themes of work and raise interesting issues such as madness whilst still being hilarious.
Student, Lewisham College


M.M [Martin McDonagh] is tricky and this was handled with aplomb, well paced, delicate in places and got the dark comedy just right.
Teacher, Lewisham College


ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. I loved it. The story was very true to what goes in Ireland. The mother reminds me of my own grandmother, it was all very true and believable. The set was brilliant and very detailed and the costumes were great. I had an Ireland footie top like that when I was little. What interested me was how true and believable it was. It was easily the best play I have seen here. 
Student, Lewisham College


The characters really engaged me and kept the story alive.
Student, Lewisham College


Very revealing about the heart of Irish social history. 
Teacher, Lewisham College