We round up the reviews for the UK premiere of Anna Ziegler’s drama.
WhatsOnStage: **** “Ziegler is at the top of her game here. Her characters get so much wrong, yet there are no villains, nor are there heroes or heroines. The dialogue is elegant, amusing but raw when it needs to be, and the sense of religion impacting on ordinary lives transcends the Jewish specificity into something truly universal. “Your writing is sort of luminous,” says Julia to Abe, and that statement applies equally to this.”
Jewish News: “Credit to the performers for learning the lines they must write in marker as well as those they speak, and to award-winning director Igor Golyak, described by the New York Times as one of the most inventive in his field, for pulling the whole production together in a way that keeps the attention focussed on the preoccupation of the moment.”
Theatre & Tonic: **** “Overall, The Wanderers delivers a thoughtful plot with clever design elements. It offers a window into the lives of normal people and the struggles commitment can bring. Although beautifully written, the story does lack some emotional impact, which left me slightly unsatisfied in places. “
The Guardian: ** “Ziegler’s script is preoccupied with the aches and traditions we hold on to from the generations above, which can at once shape, comfort and harm us. Her characters all seek a partner who sees them for who they truly are. On this stage, it is hard not to see a father and a son who could have been happy, if only they had extended goodness towards anyone but themselves.”
A Young(ish) Perspective: *** 1/2 “The form the play takes is absolutely beautiful. Each section is introduced by characters doodling on the central glass board. The story’s structure and “chapters” are written there as the play progresses, with drawings related to the scene being added and transformed. Gradually, these images construct a world of their own, which is eventually poured over and erased. This choice of writing and re-writing not only reflects the profession of the main character, Abe (played by Alexander Forsyth), but also the play’s central theme: how much can we write or rewrite our own stories, and how much do we fictionalize reality in our minds to survive?”
The Standard: **** ” Director Igor Golyak’s production is well cast if overstated in its visual symbolism.”
Beyond the Curtain.co.uk: ***** “As sceptical as I was, The Wanderers truly moved me. Tenderness, honesty, and courage flow through this piece. It’s a rare kind of theatre that lingers, one that reached chords deep within me.”
Time Out: *** “Still, the universal question of whether the decisions we make are truly the right ones makes Ziegler’s play a thoughtful study of human desire and regret. With strong performances – especially from Popplewell as the glamorous Julia – it is brimming with ideas that reward reflection.”
West End Best Friend: *** “The Wanderers is thoughtful, considered and beautifully written, and the language is incredibly poetic. However, at times, the story is too tidy. The ending is overwrought and neatly wraps up any loose ends which feels wrong for a play called The Wanderers.“
London Theatre Reviews.co.uk: **** “The Wanderers remains an engaging and thoughtful production anchored by strong performances.”
All That Dazzles: *** “Ultimately, The Wanderers is a play of two unfinished halves. It gestures toward big, universal ideas – faith, freedom, fidelity – but never fully commits to exploring them. There’s plenty to admire in the production, but the script itself feels like it’s still searching for its centre. Perhaps these two plays were better off wandering solo.”
The Spy in the Stalls: *** “It’s hard to pinpoint the purpose of this play: there are gestures towards inherited fictions and the traps of imagination, but these are not adequately developed. Besides the visual spectacle, aided by some excellent lighting (Alex Musgrave), it’s a tough piece to engage with. Not tough to grapple with conceptually, but tough to discern the concepts in the first place.”
The Reviews Hub: ** “The Wanderers is a play of meticulous architecture and grand ambition, but it is as emotionally barren as they come.”
Broadway World: ** “The cast is exceptional. Alexander Forsyth is contemplative and sombre as the tortured author, while Paksie Vernon is simply magnetic as Sophie. Exasperated, disillusioned, and heartbroken, she materialises the chasm between them until it becomes the elephant in the room. She blooms when Sophie finally stands up to the gaslighting chitchat Abe gives her. Anna Popplewell is an ethereal apparition, leaning into Abe’s fantasy. “
The Stage: *** “Directed by Igor Golyak, Anna Ziegler’s drama about Jewish identity and the stories we tell about ourselves doesn’t dig deeply enough.”
North West End: *** “Overall, The Wanderers is a beautifully staged and emotionally resonant production. It offers a heartfelt exploration of family dynamics, faith, and the human desire for connection. Despite a few pacing issues, the play leaves a lasting impression—encouraging reflection on love, loyalty, and what it truly means to be fulfilled.”
Plays To See: *** “Overall, The Wanderers has provided a playful and complex space in which many age-old but nevertheless necessary questions have been raised. Indeed, the answers provided are not always well-executed or complete. But the lyrical language, wistful set design, and the actors’ overall convincing portrayals of turmoil, are all enjoyable facets of an ambitious play which tries to understand many things: what it means to be Jewish, what it means to be unhappy (perhaps forever), what it means to be ordinary, how to capture a past too close and personal to oneself, how to endure inherited legacies.”
Theatre Cat: “It’s as moving in its tribute to Jewish community warmth as the dance at the end of the Anne Frank play. “The Fridays, the Fridays, the birthdays and the holidays . And the way that nobody is forgotten..a song that will never end”. “
The Wanderers continues to play at the Marylebone Theatre until the 29th November.