Kit Harington and Johnny Flynn star in Matthew Dunster’s production now playing at the Vaudeville Theatre. Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews…
The Telegraph: *** “If the evening needs to look more rock n roll, less like a roughed-up version of The Odd Couple, there’s still enough to savour for the initiated and uninitiated alike.”
The Stage: **** “Matthew Dunster’s production of True West, the first major London revival of Sam Shepard’s work since his death last July, demonstrates that not only was the late playwright a superb chronicler of the histories and hypocrisies of the Wild West, but that he also had a wickedly sharp sense of humour.”
The Independent: *** “I’ve seen more visceral and menacing accounts of this play, but here you get an engaging dose of its visceral elation.”
WhatsOnStage: * “the result is a disaster, one of the worst acted and least convincing productions of any Shepard play that I have ever seen, one that reduces a resonant masterwork to an incomprehensible screaming match. Shepard must be spinning in his grave.”
Culture Whisper: **** “But it’s Flynn’s Lee who commands, directs the dizzying spiral of destruction, and leaves us feeling thoroughly unsettled.”
The Guardian: *** ” enjoyable as Matthew Dunster’s revival is, I felt the play works best in small theatres and that the central pairing doesn’t achieve a perfect balance.”
Evening Standard: **** “The play itself can feel like a series of bizarre riffs, but is packed with similarly outrageous moments. Crucially, whether bickering about art or madly wielding golf clubs, the leads spark off each other, often to hair-raising effect.”
Monstagigz: “If it all sounds a little too worthy, it’s actually very funny with Johnny Flynn providing an unforgettable central performance.”
Broadway World: ***** “Flynn and Harington have an incredibly dynamic partnership, full of physicality and energy, and playing off one another’s actions.”
Time Out: *** “But Matthew Dunster’s production sells it a bit short. The celeb pairing of Harington and Flynn never fizzes enough with the threat of violence. Hair-and-make-up aside, both remain slightly too young, too pretty and too reserved to work in either role.”
Radio Times: **** “It’s an intense, beguiling and seductive watch and this production works thanks to the finely-calibrated performances of our two leading men.”
British Theatre Guide: “While it will not be everybody’s cup of tea, this impeccably directed and acted production is likely to please fans of the leading performers at the same time as giving fans of dirty realism that threatens to dip over into surreality an enjoyable evening.”
Jonathan Baz Reviews: ***** “Dated perhaps, but the play’s dynamism is timeless. Harington and Flynn define scorching drama in what is unmissable theatre.”
The Upcoming: ** “It’s the kind of production where you can see each of the grinding gear-changes as it stumbles towards the finish line.”
The Times: *** “Game of Thrones star reigns over sibling rival”
True West continues to play at the Vaudeville Theatre until the 16th February 2019. To book tickets click here.