We take a look at what is being said about Martin Crimp’s version of the 17th century classic, starring Sandra Oh.
The Guardian: “n the best dramatic moments it contains some riveting acting from Oh, who brings heart, fire, vulnerability and comic timing.”
South London.co.uk: “That’s all to say – it’s 2026 and misanthropy is thriving. Initially, Alice’s deep-seated hatred of humanity is disarming and somewhat extreme. But as the play develops, I couldn’t help but feel as if it aligns disturbingly well with reality.”
London Theatre.co.uk: “It’s certainly not the gender-flipping that’s the issue in this production, which is directed by new National Theatre boss Indhu Rubasingham, and Oh proves as watchable on stage as she is on screen. But while it piles on a number of hot-button topics – from generational clashes to performative activism – once it’s thrown them in the ring it merely leaves them there.”
The Arts Desk: “Martin Crimp’s sparkling latest revisits Molière and gives the play a gender twist.”
The Reviews Hub: “The big draw here is Sandra Oh, and she is excellent, fiery and likeable, great comic timing, and just listening to her Alice rant about the ills of twenty-first-century living would have been enough. But there’s so little for everyone else to do that by the time they appear in eighteenth-century costume for the bizarre party ending in what look like leftovers from Les Liaisons Dangereuses (the last production on this stage), any opportunity to think about the regendering of Molière’s characters and the point of all of this has drifted away.”
WhatsOnStage: “Indhu Rubasingham’s direction keeps the action fast on Robert Jones’s handsome designs, which set the story in various rooms of a boutique hotel full of baroque extravagance in its rich cushions and red-painted walls. The final coup de théâtre – when all the lavish trimmings are stripped away and the characters enact a masque in a bare blue space beautifully lit (like the rest) by Tim Lutkin – is stunning. But as Alice renounces the world and walks away, the impact is muted.”
The Standard: “It’s a coup for the National to have secured Sandra Oh, and worth seeing this Misanthrope for her, Chahidi and a fine supporting cast.”
The Stage: “Sandra Oh makes a compellingly complicated protagonist in this playful reimagining of Molière’s classic satire.”
Time Out: “Overall, a mixed bag that ends strong. Crimp has undoubtedly earned his English language domination of this play and at its best this new spin is very good. But I don’t think anyone’s going to complain if we get a more slickly comic version from a fresh voice next time The Misanthrope rears its grumpy head.”
The Telegraph: “It often feels like there is an Oh-shaped hole in this Molière update.”
London Theatre 1: “This is very much a work where the sum of all parts does not equal the total. The performances are good, the staging reasonable, and the storyline clever – but the spark is missing.”
British Theatre Guide: “Of course, romance is the traditional staple of West End theatre, so Alice is reportedly having one with the actor Stefan (Tom Mison), with whom John points out she has very little in common. Stefan is still ending his relationship with his wife and perhaps even having a fling with young women (one of whom might be Esmée). But all that is briefly delivered ambiguously with care on the jokes to avoid slipping into an echo of Noël Coward or the bedroom farce. After all, this is a shallow, performative play mocking the performative arts.”
Broadway World: ” Sandra Oh leads with a sharp performance. She has her own idea of what the play should be and isn’t afraid of being in it. Oh is exquisite. Her passion is vibrant, but her explosions remain calibrated and her harangues levelheaded. The portrayal only tips into volatility when it comes to Alice’s boyfriend. She’s steadfast in her depiction and utterly magnetic in her power suit.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-misanthrope/