The National Theatre production of Beth Steel’s play is booking in the West End until the 27th September.
Theatre & Tonic: ***** “In a theatrical landscape that often either panders or preaches, Till the Stars Come Down does neither. It simply shows us who we are, with all our contradictions and complexities. This is surely the wedding party that cracks open modern Britain The result is thrilling, heartbreaking, and unmissable. “
Radio Times: **** “Till The Stars Come Down touches on a wide range of issues – xenophobia, the miners’ strike, climate anxiety – without feeling overwhelming. In today’s world of playwrights and screenwriters that feel the need to overexplain, Beth Steel stands out in her refusal to talk down to the audience. Till The Stars Come Down is packed full of nuance, subtle gestures and loaded sentences that communicate the unsaid – just like real life.”
The Telegraph: **** “Beth Steel’s Olivier-nominated drama Till the Stars Come Down has lost none of its comedy and searing melancholy in this West End transfer.”
The Standard: **** “Till the Stars Come Down is serious, uproarious fun.”
The Stage: **** “Strong ensemble performances energise to Beth Steel’s uproarious portrait of strained sisterhood and community divisions.”
London Theatre 1: **** “The staging works reasonably well, with a revolve that moves slowly during a sit-down meal, and there is on-stage seating to give the show an in-the-round feel. By West End standards, though, some of the scene changes rattle on a bit too long, and the dramatic tension dissipates during the waiting. All things considered, however, it’s a wedding like no other, for better or for worse, and definitely worth attending.”
Theatre Weekly: ***** “Till the Stars Come Down is a triumph of British playwriting and ensemble performance. It’s a wedding you’ll never forget — and a play you’ll never stop thinking about. If you see one show this summer, make it this.”
Jonathan Baz Reviews: ***** “Beth Steel’s writing was good last year on the South Bank. Performed by this company at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, it’s bloody brilliant and the capital’s drama highlight of the summer!”
Time Out: **** “With so many different strands interwoven into the story – and Steel’s admirable efforts to fully realise every character – some do get left by the wayside. I particularly found myself wondering about Maggie’s past, and that the sisters’ widowed father Tony (Alan Williams) was left in stasis with many questions unanswered. But perhaps, as Till The Stars Come Down teaches us, that’s life. Tension has a way of coming to the surface whether we like it or not, but the endings aren’t always satisfying. Steel’s play ends as chaotically as it started, but with that unshakeable sadness now impossible to ignore.”
London Theatre Reviews.co.uk: ***** “Make no mistake, Till The Stars Come Down is a state-of-the-nation play in its own right but its earthy dialogue and natural familial dynamics are a credit to both Steel and director Bijan Sheibani.”
The Review Hub: ***** ” A true state-of-the-nation play, Till the Stars Come Down is a tragicomic masterpiece of everyday life in a place long forgotten.”
West End Best Friend: **** “Beth Steel’s play is outrageously funny and shockingly vulnerable. A whirlwind of a show – don’t miss your chance to see this celebrated smash hit.”
The Upcoming: **** “Steel’s writing manages to elicit gasp after gasp with each new revelation. And even if the drama is exaggerated, the dialogue feels incredibly natural. And when needed to be, very funny.”
Broadway World: **** “Director Bijan Sheibani creates intimacy and huge amounts of fun; it is certainly the first time I have seen a pair of Spanx tossed into an audience. Messy and melancholy, ‘Till The Stars Come Down is a beautiful and important piece of theatre.”
To book tickets click here.