We round up the reviews for the debut play from Jasmine Lee-Jones, now playing at the Royal Court Theatre.
Time Out: **** “It’s way too much, like when you accidentally play a video on your phone at full volume on a packed commuter train. And that’s what makes it exciting, Cleo’s jarring combination of all-in irreverence and deadly purpose. It’s a duality reflected in this play’s artfully drawn central friendship; these two women are ultimately, beautifully held together by the tensions that threaten to destroy them.”
WhatsOnStage: *** “It’s a bit messy, and there’s a lot to take in, but the show is inspiringly fresh and it is given a firecracker production by Milli Bhatia with a great design of tangled wires by Rajha Shakiry, and impassioned, funny, clever performances by Danielle Vitalis as Cleo and Tia Bannon as Kara. Lee-Jones is definitely one to watch.”
The Guardian: *** “This is a desperately topical play that wears the politics of gender, identity and race on its sleeve – sometimes too much so.”
The Telegraph: **** “With writing this sharply self aware, it’s a pity that Cleo, during a marijuana binge, lapses into hazy, clichéd observations about the importance of self-love. Yet the spirit of this messy play, which makes a virtue of its occasional incoherence – it can sometimes feel like you’ve been sucked into a nightmarish Twitter thread – is essentially confrontational.”
The Stage: **** “It is rare to see a play that feels so precisely timely in both its writing and execution. It marks Lee-Jones out as a brilliant, creative new voice.”
The Upcoming: ***** “it is a star-making production from top to bottom, and needs to have a life beyond its brief summer run upstairs at the Royal Court.”
Broadway World: ***** ” a spectacular debut for Lee-Jones, who certainly is a writer to watch.”
Reviewsgate.com: **** “There is no getting away from the fact that Jasmine Lee-Jones, a product of the theatre’s Young Court programme for writers has come up with a play that, once you grasp what is going on, enlightens and provokes.”
British Theatre Guide: “It may have some fairly significant flaws but this vibrant new play from newcomer Jasmine Lee-Jones represents a fresh voice and richly deserves this Royal Court debut directed by Milli Bhatia.”
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner continues to play at the Royal Court Theatre until the 27th July.