Find out what London critics have had to say about Jeremy O. Harris’s play, now playing for a limited run.
Broadway World: ** “You can feel the cogs turn in Robert O’Hara’s Broadway imported production to manufacture the moments it wants you to be outraged by. With a collective scowl and upper lips stiffened, the British audience just don’t seem as shakeable.”
The Guardian: **** “I challenge anyone to leave Slave Play without needing to argue in favour or against, describe moments, express solidarity or otherwise. It might be flawed but it is charismatic, needling theatre. An event.”
All That Dazzles: ***** “The star of this show truly is Jeremy O. Harris’ writing. With a distinctive style, he manages to create a rich world with plenty to unpack throughout –, this real and raw approach veers from witty to gritty, with no shortage of emotion always bubbling in the background.”
The Telegraph: *** “Set aside the hype – Jeremy O Harris’s risqué Broadway hit feels more like a valuable work-in-progress about US race relations.”
Evening Standard: **** “But Robert O’Hara’s production, featuring a fine British-American ensemble that includes Kit Harington and Olivia Washington, is challenging in the best way. It uses sex and therapy as metaphors for society’s wider inability to talk honestly about race and touches on the desensitisation of modern life. Though its focus and sphere of reference are wholly American, it feels like a vital presence in the West End.”
WhatsOnStage: **** “In the end, for all its shock value, the message of Slave Play seems to be one that asks for us to be able to talk, to face demons with honesty and integrity, and ultimately to listen to others. In this, it makes its own vital contribution.”
Theatre & Tonic: **** “I believe this play does exactly what writer Jeremy O. Harris intended. It makes you laugh, makes you feel uncomfortable, and leaves you thinking. This is a play that could be watched or read over and over and you would still see something new every time. It might not be something that you want to see, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be seen. Whether you love it or hate it, I think this piece is doing what good theatre should: staying with you long after you leave the auditorium and forcing you to have conversations outside of your comfort zone.”
The Independent: **** “Therapy sessions, dildos, Rihanna, and an exposing performance from Kit Harington… ‘Slave Play’ has finally arrived – loudly – in London, and it’s a sharp, intelligent, multi-layered satire.”
London Theatre 1: ***** “There is undoubtedly a pervading artificiality to the single-lens perspective through which the failures of the biracial relationships being examined are perceived. Controversial too, upsetting many with the theories, criticisms and hypotheses put forwards. This is not however a play looking to provide its audiences with answers. Instead, issues are held to the light for their examination.”
The Stage: **** “Provocative drama from Jeremy O Harris is a challenging exploration of the intersection of race, gender, power and desire.”
To find out more about the show visit: https://slaveplaylondon.com/