Gina McKee stars in Eleanor Rhode’s production of Tristan Bernays’ play – find out what critics have been making of it in Love London Love Culture’s round up of the reviews…
AD 61, Britannia.
On the furthest outreaches of the Roman Empire – at the very edge of the known world – rebellion is brewing.
The King of the Iceni has died and his widow Boudica has tried to claim her rightful throne. For her insolence in defying Rome, the queen has been flogged, her daughters have been raped, and they have been banished from their homeland. But now, Queen Boudica has returned. And this time she has an army.
She will have revenge. She will have blood. She will make Rome quake in fear.
The Guardian: **** “Eleanor Rhode directs with an assurance that should make her a permanent fixture at the Globe.”
The Telegraph: *** “the icily arresting McKee, almost Cleopatra-like at the moment of her death, holds your attention throughout, even as, just like Richard III, her ability to rule starts to ebb the moment she gains the most power.”
Time Out: *** “a pacy, fun watch that’ll thrill ‘Game of Thrones’ fans. But it’s not quite the history-making feminist epic this Iceni queen deserves.”
WhatsOnStage: ***** “Eleanor Rhode’s production is a thrilling, challenging and thoroughly disturbing examination of one of Britain’s bloodiest – and feistiest – patriots.”
The Stage: *** “Commendable as it is that women’s stories are being celebrated on stages of this size, Boudica remains frustratingly out of reach.”
The Times: ** “This warrior queen is too laconic for my liking — it’s her kick-ass daughters who save the day.”
Broadway World: ***** “It is a refreshing piece of new writing that was absolutely made for the Globe, and plays its part in providing meatier roles for women.”
Culture Whisper: *** “Visually striking and often arousing, it is an engaging and at times thoughtful imagining of this continuously influential and enigmatic icon.”
Exeunt Magazine: “As an addition to the array of interpretations available, Bernays’ play isn’t the most insurrectionary resurrection of Boudica. But give it awhile and you never know what’s waiting in store from the next generation of blue-painted children.”
City AM: **** “Funny, bold and fast-paced, Boudica’s a high energy evening that’ll leave you feeling bolshy enough to kick over a bin on the way out.”
The Upcoming: **** “Boudica is never short of powerful, bloodthirsty performances. It may not be Shakespearean text, but it fits on stage perfectly at the Globe.”
British Theatre Guide: ” It tells a story, a story of women, that is one of the first to come down from Britain’s earliest history—and tells it well.”
Theatre Bubble: *** “A visually powerful show to end Emma Rice’s Summer of Love.”
Stage Review: **** “Boudica offers an exhilarating and ingenious look at the country’s first feminist, a warrior queen that will delight general theatre-goers.”
The Reviews Hub: **** 1/2 “Although this rousing play only runs until the end of the month, it deserves a quick transfer for all of its cast and creatives. The Queen is Dead. Long Live the Queen!”
Boudica will play at the Shakespeare’s Globe until the 1st October. For more information visit: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/whats-on/globe-theatre/boudica-2017