The final part of Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ trilogy is now officially playing in the West End. But what have critics had to say about it?
The Guardian: *** “You glimpse a stronger, more searing play in a few scenes, such as Denise’s sabre-sharp diatribe on King Charles’s coronation (“A 74-year-old man is being showered with a billion quid’s worth of stolen bling”).”
The Telegraph: ***** “The final instalment in Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’s trilogy features two astounding performances and feels more timely than ever.”
All That Dazzles: **** “Collectively, all three instalments of Death of England: The Plays are an important piece of theatre and one that could challenge some of the attitudes still so sadly prevalent in today’s society – some of which have been brought to the surface in shocking ways in the month since my visit to the first two plays. An in-depth look at what makes people act the way they do and the issues that come from having others beliefs instilled on you, overall Death of England has been a resounding success and one that I hope lives on in the years to come.”
Theatre Weekly: **** “Death of England: Closing Time is a thoughtful, resonant piece that brings this powerful trilogy to a close with grace and depth, proving once again the enduring relevance of its themes.”
The FT: *** “More effective is the playwrights’ teasing out of what it’s permissible to laugh at in terms of race and how much depends on who’s laughing. There are two skilled, high-octane performances to enjoy here, but with its talk, talk, talk and lack of character development or incident, this doesn’t feel like a play.”
The Stage: *** “Concluding part of the state-of-the-nation trilogy is vivid, intense and thrillingly performed by Erin Doherty and Sharon Duncan-Brewster.”
Broadway World: **** “For all its macro-political chest beating, the dramatic potency lies in the humanity throbbing at the core. Carly and Denise were the fulcrums in the previous chapters, their inescapable presences looming off stage. Carly is Michael’s sister and Delroy’s partner to the dismay of Denise, Delroy’s mother. Now Carly and Denise are former business partners solemnly packing up cardboard boxes of Denise’s West Indian café; the air is heavy with barbed resentment after Carly’s latent racism emerges in a drug fuelled rant fetishising black culture.”
Death of England: Closing Time continues to play at @SohoPlace until the 28th September. To book tickets for each of the plays visit: https://sohoplace.org/