Discover how critics have been reacting to Jamie Armitage’s debut play, which continues to run at the theatre until the 22nd February.
WhatsOnStage: *** “It’s riveting to watch and a challenge for the actors – who rise to it brilliantly. As Palmer, Rosie Sheehy cleverly conveys both her own unease at some of the tactics she is using, and her unwavering belief that the man opposite her is guilty. Occasionally, electrifyingly, sometimes her conviction breaks out.”
Broadway World:*** “Where Armitage excels is in the way he creates an uneasy, taut atmosphere: the air is heavy with doubt as the play turns into a mind game between characters and audience. Who knows what? Who’s telling the truth? Whose side should we be on? This is further intensified by the use of live video, designed by Dan Light.”
All That Dazzles: *** “Full of tension and intrigue, An Interrogation is an at times uncomfortable but always enjoyable one-act play. As good as it is in its current form, it still feels unfinished to me with the potential to flesh this out further and make a truly unmissable play.”
Theatre & Tonic: **** “Though it does feature some light – albeit interesting and well-executed – twists, An Interrogation doesn’t deliver significant shifts in the ownership of the upper hand, making the back and forth of the questioning less knotty and unpredictable than expected. Nonetheless, the gripping text and tight direction by Jamie Armitage deliver an enjoyable, absorbing thriller that keeps our attention high and our interest piqued.”
The Standard: *** “It’s still very tense. Sheehy is terrific at projecting pugnacity and vulnerability. She and Ballard both give nuanced, understated performances, yet every purse of the lips or flicker of the eyes is projected in close up behind them. The play isn’t just about power, it’s about the cost of playing a role.”
The Stage: **** “Superbly subtle performances make this boilerplate police-interview thriller tense and riveting.”
London Pub Theatres Magazine: **** “The actors’ subtle, layered approach is aided by the production’s central conceit: the live footage of the interrogation displayed on the back wall of the set. By switching this footage between different angles—an overhead shot, close-ups, even under-the-table views of the performers’ tense hands—Armitage cleverly manipulates the rhythm of the show and the information at our disposal, while underlining the themes of trust and subjective perception of truth. The effect is slick and punchy, and elevates what is, at heart, a fairly simple and well-trodden plot into something much more interesting.”
The Arts Desk: *** “A hit at Edinburgh and now expanded to a tense 70 minutes three-hander, Jamie Armitage’s first play as writer as well as director is a wordy, worthy procedural ideally suited to this downstairs, bunker-like venue. Based on a Canadian true story (and the dubious value of that phrase is borne out later), it’s riding the True Crime podcast craze and will not want for an audience, even at this trickiest time of the year.”
Everything Theatre: *** “That said, the back and forth is better, here the dialogue is stronger, adapted from a real life interview. The extended silences, brimming with tension, add weight to the cat and mouse game, drawing the audience in. The concept and performances are the play’s strongest assets. Sheehy and Ballard’s performances ensure the evening is engaging, even if the play fails to fully deliver on its potential.”
A Young (ish) Perspective: **** 1/2 “Ballard plays the controlling antagonist with ease, spitting monologues about the audacity of a millennial, paired with intense, dominating stares. He too is compelling as a character you’ve probably met in your own life. His detailed expressiveness works particularly well as part of Dan Light’s live-feed projections on the back wall of the stage.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2024/an-interrogation/