We round up the reviews for Matthew Dunster’s production of Harold Pinter’s play, starring Joe Cole and Jared Harris.
WhatsOnStage: *** “At moments, this Homecoming is played like a dark drawing room comedy, skating along the surface of the play. Perhaps there are no depths to be discovered. I begin to wonder.”
The Guardian:*** “It has all the period detail intact, from its splenetic 1960s cockney vernacular to references to serving in the the “Italian campaign” of the second world war. But there is a timelessness to the aggressive misogyny among the men in this family. Max (Jared Harris) is its absolute patriarch, who weaponises fatherhood against his sons (even his memory of once tucking them in to bed holds menace), and brands Ruth a “tart” on first meeting. As the play’s fulcrum, Harris’s Max is not always a brute enough presence for the necessary menace to pervade the first act, though there is plenty of dark comedy. He has outbursts but is wistful and soft-edged too. The threat in Pinter’s irrepressible script slowly surfaces – but never quite enough of it.”
The Reviews Hub: ** “Whilst many consider this a great work, if you’re unfamiliar with the story, it’s likely to be a bewildering experience to watch. The subject matter is very unpleasant, as are the characters, and no attempt is made to give the audience something they can latch on to care about what’s happening.”
Time Out: *** “Dunster is second to none when it comes to wrangling celebrity casts – this is the first stage outing in years for Harris and Cole – and there are solid performances here, most notably Diveney as the ambivalent Ruth.”
The Arts Desk: *** “Unsettling investigation of patriarchal family and sexual relationships has uneven force.”
West End Best Friend: **** “The Young Vic’s revival of The Homecoming is a delightful production, respectfully bringing Pinter’s vision to the forefront, leaving the audience with deep distress and confusion as Pinter intended. It is not a production for everyone due to its context, but for those open to a wild ride, you will surely appreciate the exploration of toxic masculinity in the most absurd way.”
Theatre & Tonic: *** “Jared Harris is monumental as the patriarch with a walking stick and a schizophrenic temperament; whether being sweet and charming or a nasty bastard, he is a mesmeric figure. Without a doubt, Harris is the finest British actor without a knighthood to his name and effortlessly portrays the eminently unlikeable but pitiable Max. Even when hobbling around, his animalistic prowling looms over whatever else is going on.”
The Telegraph: **** “Matthew Dunster’s revival of Pinter’s 1965 play is stylishly expressive, and boasts a real star turn from the Crown and Mad Men alumnus.”
The Stage: *** “Tremendously acted revival starring Jared Harris of Pinter’s remorselessly nasty early drama.”
Broadway World: ** “Flashes of crisp spotlights garish hot-blooded moments, icy standoffs and the infamous Pinter pauses, all aesthetic overkill throwing the guttural rhythm off kilter. This isn’t to say that the production is messy in execution. It is focused and tightly crafted. But the vision doesn’t conjure any weight.”
London Theatre.co.uk: *** “The production would benefit from greater quiet. Jazz, played at top volume upon entering the auditorium and then intermittently throughout, seems the wrong soundscape for this house of secrets, not the least of which involves the psychic bequest of the sons’ long-dead mother – and also the sexuality of Max’s younger brother, Sam, a chauffeur whom Nicolas Tennant plays with a thrilling amalgam of tenderness and wit: his is the performance of the evening.”
The Upcoming: **** “Still shocking all these decades later and still relevant thanks to its astute exploration of toxic masculinity and gender roles, The Homecoming really is a play like no other. This revival reaffirms it as a masterpiece in tension.”
iNews.co.uk: *** “Fighting is what has always defined these men and such a theme speaks potently to the toxic masculinity of today. Even so, for a woman it remains a difficult, even an unpleasant watch.”
Evening Standard: **** “Diveney is tremendous in the part. Physically slight and crop-haired, she has the insouciant saunter and watchfulness of a cat and can switch from predator to prey in a microsecond. Designer Moi Tran deserves kudos not just for the stark set but for a fabulously chic Sixties wardrobe for Ruth that gives her sexual power over these drab, stuck, postwar men. Lighting designer Sally Ferguson should also get her own curtain call.”
Culture Whisper: *** “It’s a tense watch made all the more so by Dunster’s stomach-clenching, drawn-out pauses. Judging by the press night gasps at big reveals, it’s likely this production is an introduction to the play for many, and a reminder that its portrayal of a dysfunctional family where rotten attitudes and behaviours have been passed down through generations is completely and rivetingly timeless.”
The Independent: ** “Director Matthew Dunster’s new staging has a megawatt cast that includes Jared Harris, Nicolas Tennant, Joe Cole and Lisa Diveney, but not the vision needed to update this thorny play for the present.”
British Theatre Guide: “Does Matthew Dunster’s measure up? Pace is dreamy, slack, but I’m sure it will tighten during the run. Moi Tran’s stylish set is sparsely furnished, a large sitting room with a white staircase at the back. Costumes of the period, Ruth in sixties miniskirt and later slinky gown—she looks like a model, which she had been, she says, before marrying Teddy. Another euphemism? Sally Ferguson’s lighting pinpoints items of significance, more clues. George Dennis’s sound design is jazz-based.”
The Homecoming continues to play at the Young Vic until the 27th January 2024.