Take a look at what is being said about Jonathan Spector’s play which is being directed for this production by Chelsea Walker.
The Guardian: **** “Playwright Jonathan Spector’s dialogue is incredibly sharp and satirical while thinking through big ideas. Just as in his play Eureka Day, staged at the Old Vic in 2022, this touches on issues of identity and race but has a more earnest and sweeping ambition in its complexity of thought.”
Evening Standard: *** “The Russian characters are all shifty and incapable of using definite or indefinite articles. The acting, and the technological dimension of the play, are effective but unsubtle. All that said, Spector’s play is a serious piece of work that made me think, and the issues it raises will stay with me.”
LondonTheatre1: *** “A committed cast provide compelling performances. But sometimes less is more, and I can’t help feeling fewer ideas explored in more depth would have made for a more appealing experience.”
West End Best Friend: **** “Director Chelsea Walker has done a fine job to find a physical and visual language to compliment the what could be overloaded text from Spector. The general dynamic between the three performers is incredibly strong and maintains a rhythmical quality as each actor transforms between multiple characters in nano seconds. No doubt, this can be attributed to Movement Director Michela Mezza.”
The Reviews Hub: *** 1/2 “What would help This Much I Know is if that slow realisation solidified around something that felt more closely connected to Lukesh’s lecture material. Like Natalya’s exploration of her family line, the true meaning of Spector’s work is fuzzily open to interpretation, ensuring that we must, as she does, decide what story is important to us. Whether that is a wise course of action for a play to take is debatable – but the open-ended nature of that question robs this work of the potential power it carries within.”
Broadway World: **** “This Much I Know could not be more of a jigsaw of a play, with its multiple storylines intricately slotting together. This means much of the production, especially in the first act, feels a little disorienting. However, Spector ties up each thread with remarkable skill in Act Two, creating something that feels adequately satisfying to walk away from.”
The Stage: *** “Jonathan Spector’s dramatically stilted but thematically rich play thoughtfully explores big ideas around guilt, free will and extremism.”
Theatrecat.com: “Well, no further spoilers, because you’ll enjoy the ride, remember this man Spector gave us the fabulous Eureka Day at the Old Vic; and Chelsea Walker directs with commendable speed and use of the tech.”
Adventures in Theatreland.com: ***** “This Much I Know is an engrossing, enthralling and engaging show that will alter the reality that you currently dwell in and encourages you to examine who you are, and why. It is the most intelligent script that I’ve had the pleasure of watching, and truly is a stellar production on all fronts.”
This Much I Know continues to play at the Hampstead Theatre until the 27th January 2024.