Discover how critics have been reacting to Georgie Dettmer’s debut play…
Broadway World: “This is an exceptionally strong piece from a writer making her professional debut, and none of the canny theatrical devices on display here feel gimmicky. It could benefit from a tighter edit, though in its current, less polished form still establishes Dettmer as an able commentator across the spectrum of contemporary desire and violence.”
London Theatre.co.uk: “The visuals perhaps inevitably include the spillage of blood in time for the preteen girls to slosh around in it, and there will inevitably be those who feel the play is trafficking in the very outrage that it clearly exists to expose. I’d argue that Dettmer brings an on-the-nose sensibility to behaviour that is no less painful for being performative – as on occasion is the case here.”
WhatsOnStage: “Every actor, most of them playing multiple roles, is at the absolute top of their game, and Dettmer displays an unerring ear for dialogue and a fierce, bold theatrical imagination, fully matched here by cast and creatives. Are You Watching?, perhaps inevitably, offers no easy answers but probably a couple of sleepless nights. By the end of it I felt like I wanted to scrub myself with wire wool.”
The Guardian: “The extremity of each tale of voyeurism robs the play of being able to cast a wider net of guilt, skipping over morally grey areas and focusing instead on what’s irrefutably terrible. But its clear-eyed stocktake of what we carry in our pockets – and what we demand of people to make others watch – is suitably disturbing.”
The Reviews Hub: “It must be hard for the actors to play their broken characters, but they do well, especially Billy Bolt, who switches neatly between wily police comms manager, 18-year-old virgin and the boy who finds the unimaginable on his father’s computer. Playing the two girls who are on stage the entire time, Kosar Ali (who was so impressive in the film Rocks) and Abbie McCann bring innocent childhood to a world where innocence no longer appears to be a virtue. Lucy McCormick and Maimuna Memon are excellent in their many roles, changing swiftly from grieving mothers to cold clinicians. The underused Nicholas Rowe provides the shadow of power in his roles.”
Theatre & Tonic: “Disturbing, provocative and formally assured, this is an impressive debut from a playwright with a distinctive voice and a production that lingers long after its final image.”
All That Dazzles: “In the moment, Are You Watching? is an engaging play, displaying some good signs from a debut playwright. After the fact, though, it occasionally provokes some thoughts, but doesn’t haunt you in the way it could. Suffering from an overestimation of its own cleverness, none of the many storylines packs enough emotional punch, and too many are left feeling unfinished. However, an intriguing concept, vicious direction and spectacular cast make for a night that deserves to be witnessed, despite its structural shortcomings.”
Time Out: “a terrific debut play, wonderfully directed, and with a great, hard-working cast. As disturbing an hour of theatre as you’ll see on the London stage.”
Musical Theatre Musings: “Are You Watching is not an easy watch, nor is it intended to be. Dettmer’s debut play presents a barrage of stories that individually intrigue but collectively overwhelm, creating a powerful sense of the scale and pervasiveness of sexual violence in modern society. Whilst the fragmented structure can make emotional investment in individual narratives challenging, it success in provoking reflection. Unflinching, unsettling and deeply thought -provoking, Are You Watching asks difficult questions about complicity, consumption and the digital world we inhabit, leaving the audience to consider not only what they have witnessed but their place in it.”
Everything Theatre: “Are You Watching? offers no easy resolution. Instead, it leaves its audience sitting with discomfort, questioning their own gaze and the systems that shape it. It is an ambitious and unsettling piece that demands reflection, even if what you find in the mirror is not something you want to see.”
West End Best Friend: “As we become ever absorbed in the age of technology, there are undoubtedly crucial points raised by this daring piece in terms of image altering software, the changing and sharing of material and digital abuse. It raises major concerns on consent and delivers a sharp critique of digital consumption, but it does come with multiple trigger warnings and is certainly not one for the faint hearted!”
Are You Watching continues to play at the Royal Court Theatre until the 4th July.