Find out how critics have been reacting to John Donnelly’s new play, which continues to play at the theatre until the 26th April.
The Guardian: “fundamentally, for Donnelly’s ambitious play to succeed, you have to feel swept into its supernatural world and I just didn’t bite.”
The Telegraph: “A fusion of bloodsucker thriller and domestic drama, John Donnelly’s play is a drip-drip gore-fest but feels curiously de-fanged.”
Broadway World: “There are some real zingers and excellent repartee, which make some scenes incredibly entertaining – however, the balance of humour and thriller isn’t always managed well, which may have contributed to the smattering of giggles when a stranger starts masturbating in front of Mia (although I may be being overly generous towards the audience here). For an 80-minute play, there is an awful lot of dead air where nothing happens either on or off stage; again, time that could be better spent.”
Time Out: “Apex Predator is an enjoyably outlandish way to tell a story about postpartum depression. It hints at being something bigger, at really embracing its genre trappings in a wider screen way, and it feels a shame it doesn’t go there”
London Theatre.co.uk: “A passing reference to Dungeons and Dragons nods in the direction of The Habits, the Jack Bradfield play nearing the end of its run at the Hampstead’s studio theatre downstairs at the same address. But Apex Predator is darker and altogether more disturbing. With further, ahem, fleshing out, it could well make the flesh truly crawl.”
WhatsOnStage: “Donnelly has come up with a fascinating notion, but somehow never gives himself enough space to explore the universe he creates, rushing instead from scene to scene in search of thrills.”
The Arts Desk: “Well, Melville’s performance as Mia is so bright, so lively and so blessed with cracking jests that it’s impossible, for me at least, to believe that she really is an exhausted mum on the edge of a breakdown.”
The Standard: “McIntyre’s production is brisk, though, and the set, lighting and sound design are integrated into a striking, jarring whole. And Melville’s performance demands attention.”
Theatre & Tonic: “As a piece of theatre, Apex Predator has promise in its exploration of early parenthood and its deleterious – albeit temporary – mental effects. Like Let The Right One In, Donnelly wisely doesn’t go for outright horror either to entertain or to make his points. There’s no deficit of storytelling, but more characterisation wouldn’t have gone amiss. Taken as a comedy, this is Hampstead’s finest for quite some time.”
All That Dazzles: “John Donnelly’s writing blurs the conventions, mixing together differing genres and themes. With drama, comedy and a supernatural thriller all in the mix, his writing asks questions about empowerment, the super-strength new mums are expected to have with even a bit of climate change and humans digging their own graves for good measure – all quite light-hearted, isn’t it? Well, it really is – Donnelly peppers the play with humour with the first laugh-out-loud moment coming in the opening moments. His ability to weave a narrative balancing darkness with the light creates an unpredictable and fast-paced watch that never lets you come up for breath.”
West End Best Friend: “Is Apex Predator a kitchen sink drama? A horror? A comedy? The play ambitiously attempts to be all three, delivering an accessible yet eerie exploration of contemporary anxieties. Vampires have been depicted in every conceivable way throughout literature and pop culture, so why not as a metaphor for modern disillusionment? Donnelly’s play takes this familiar mythology and roots it in the everyday struggles of motherhood, gender dynamics, and the hunger for control.”
The Reviews Hub: “For a play with such a bleak premise, Apex Predator offers an entertaining 1 hour and 40 minutes of theatre. Put a Bloody Mary on hold for the interval.”
London Theatre 1: “Summing up, Apex Predator remains a conundrum for me. Whilst it’s impressive how much story is pushed into the eighty-odd minutes of stage-time, particularly in the strong second act, the characters on the whole felt underdeveloped and there were just too many questions asked but not answered.”
The Stage: “Sophie Melville’s forceful central performance elevates this timely but underdeveloped supernatural yarn.”
To book tickets click here.