Trevor Nunn directs this revival of Terence Rattigan’s comedy which stars Eve Best, Helen George, Anthony Head and Edward Bluemel. Here is what critics have been saying about it: 

The Telegraph: **** “not only gripped by its ingenious fusion of domestic tragi-comedy and political debate but ever more seized by the conviction that this work has now entered the canon of must-do Rattigana”

The Guardian: *** “a good evening that, in stitching together two different versions of the same play, shows Rattigan’s capacity to mix genres and combine laughter and pain.”

The Independent: ***** “Nunn has many formidable strengths as a man of the theatre, but lightness of touch never struck me as one before now.”

The Stage: **** “Nunn’s production is played with such pitch-perfect mood and period nuance that it emerges as a scintillating rediscovery.”

WhatsOnStage: ***** “The whole thing is performed with a real sense of period tone and comic timing but also with finely calibrated sense of the powerful emotions at work.”

Evening Standard: *** “The end result, unfortunately, is dismayingly lumpy and uncertain of tone; a strange lurch into farce in the final act makes it seem more Ray Cooney than Terence Rattigan.”

Time Out: *** “It’s a proper masterclass from Best, though I couldn’t help occasionally think she would probably have been equally as good in one of the many, many better Rattigan plays.”

Broadway World.com: **** “Nunn’s hybrid production is a masterful tonal mix.”

Theatre Cat: “It hasn’t the extreme emotional punch of The Deep Blue Sea or Flare Path, but it is in its way a piece of perfection, especially in this careful, loving production.”

London Theatre.co.uk: **** “a lovingly detailed, beautifully acted production”

The Times: *** “There are many things that are excellent about this production, but this rom-com with pretensions of seriousness is too long.”

British Theatre Guide: “Occasionally, all involved seem to be trying a little too hard for laughs but overall, the play loses little in the transformation and should be yet another triumph for the Menier.”

The FT: ***** “The brilliant Best, with a thousand tiny gestures, fleeting expressions and tones, gives the already sparkling dialogue a coruscating force.”

Love in Idleness continues to play at the Menier Chocolate Theatre until the 29th April. For more information and to book tickets visit: https://www.menierchocolatefactory.com/Online/default.asp