Take a look at what is being said about Sophia’s Griffin’s debut play, performing at the Bush Theatre until the 20th December.
The Guardian: **** “Breathwork is central to Corey Campbell’s direction, which sees the men reaching violently forward in movement sequences between the scenes. With sound composed by XANA, the potential for full-blown rage hangs thick in the air. We remain hungry to stay with the men at the play’s close, with the final scene feeling unresolved. But Griffin paints a vivid picture of a system in crisis. Driven by Naomi’s impossible battles with the people higher up and a desperate want for things to get better, it stings.”
The Live Review London: **** “Overall, After Sunday is a strong and impressive debut. Not one for date night or a light-hearted outing, but you don’t walk away feeling bleak—you walk away feeling hope. It stays with you, invites reflection, conversation and packs an emotional punch.”
The Arts Desk: *** “New writing for the theatre is good at taking us into the darkest of places – and there are few more painful environments than prisons and mental institutions. Places where agony radiates off the walls, and anguish is in the air we breathe. So it’s a real challenge for Sophia Griffin, in her debut play, After Sunday, at the Bush theatre, to takes us on just such a journey into an unforgiving world of distress, disappointment and despair. If the result is not completely successful, it does have an excellent cast who deliver some powerfully moving moments.”
Time Out: **** “After Sunday is a show that is there to facilitate the male experience. This is a show about masculinity in all its forms – Black masculinity in particular. All three men experience anger, grief, anxiety, pain. They come to cooking class with ideas about who they are meant to be, and quickly find these stereotypes integrating. Griffin’s script isn’t afraid to play with these complicated depths, leading to a complex, nuanced and at times overwhelming theatrical experience.”
The Independent: *** “Set in a cookery class at a men’s psychiatric unit in Birmingham, Sophia Griffin’s play is by turns funny, poignant and painful”
London Theatre.co.uk: **** “Director Corey Campbell punctuates the scenes with moments of stuttering, tormented movement, as though reflecting the characters’ inner pressures and pain. These instances are enhanced hugely by Xana’s discordant sound design, combined with Ali Hunter’s dramatic lighting.”
London Theatre 1: **** “. A gritty and heartfelt portrayal of a world which relatively few people, by default, know very much about.”
Theatre Weekly: ***** “At its core, After Sunday is a beautiful play about humanity, about Black characters who find themselves trapped in a system that neglects them outside the hospital and forgets them inside the hospital. Bubbling under the surface of the revelations, the hilarious moments of levity, the music and the pulsating drama is a hopelessness, a slow systemic resignation that each character tries to fight in their own way.”
Everything Theatre: *** “So, After Sunday is quietly, cleverly political. It is the kind of work that we need more of if things are going to change for the better. I wish all involved, but especially director Corey Campbell, had trusted this more and dispensed with a layer of theatricality the play really doesn’t need. The cast doesn’t need to perform weakly choreographed, jerky movements between scenes.”
Theatre & Tonic: **** “With a disproportionate representation of black men in secure hospitals and criminal justice settings, Griffins’ humanisation is a welcome addition to the stage. Theatre is a powerful vehicle for empathy, connection and a reminder to suspend judgement; exactly what the world needs right now.”
The Stage: *** “Undercooked underdog story by Sophia Griffin about mental health, finding community and Caribbean cuisine.”
The Upcoming: **** “Ultimately, in spite of some misguided stylised interludes, After Sunday remains a sturdily performed drama that maintains a gentle, unpatronising empathy for its subjects. Perhaps most valuably, it leavens their despair with natural character comedy (a swipe at Aerosmith proves both amusing and more illustrative of individual character than you’d expect), and a persuasive argument for the resilience of hope.”
Lou Reviews: **** “After Sunday feels very real and demonstrates significant power. There are moments of laughter, frustration, and friendly joshing, against moments of genuine tension when we remember where we are.”
The Reviews Hub: ***** “After Sunday is a moving, humane piece of theatre, one that will stay with you long after the final scene. Truly worth a watch.”
North West End: **** “Overall, After Sunday is an intense and captivating production that leaves you wanting more. While it offers glimpses into the characters’ lives, I found myself craving further insight, more backstory about why each person is in the secure hospital, and what conditions brought them there. Still, this desire for more only underscores how deeply engaging the characters and their stories are.”
After Sunday continues to play until the 20th December.