A Very Expensive Poison
A Very Expensive Poison
83

A Very Expensive Poison London Reviews and Tickets

83%
(4 Ratings)
Positive
75%
Mixed
0%
Negative
25%
Members say
Intense, Relevant, Absorbing, Clever, Intelligent

About the Show

Lucy Prebble adapts Luke Harding's explosive book for the stage. A revealing account of the events which led to the assassination of the former spy, Alexander Litvinenko. Directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn, The Goldfinch).

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Show-Score Member Reviews (4)

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28 Reviews | 0 Followers
100
Intelligent, Profound, Relevant, Great writing, Clever

See it if You enjoy a witty script and politically relevant stories that open your eyes to the injustices of the world

Don't see it if You don't like true stories retellings

23 Reviews | 0 Followers
91
Relevant, Thought-provoking, Intense, Intelligent, Absorbing

See it if You are interested in true stories, politics and international affairs, intrigue, crime and the Litvinenko case.

Don't see it if Aren’t interested in the above and want light hearted entertainment Read more

24 Reviews | 0 Followers
87
Intense, Great acting, Edgy, Clever, Absorbing

See it if you want a serious, tear jerker of a play that really makes you think. Unbelievable acting. Stays with you for a while.

Don't see it if you’re after light-hearted entertainment.

11 Reviews | 0 Followers
40
Disappointing

See it if you've nothing better to do.

Don't see it if you want to avoid a rare Lucy Prebble misfire.

Critic Reviews (9)

The London Evening Standard
September 5th, 2019

Inventive but flawed exploration of the Litvinenko murder...It’s often funny or startling. But I didn’t feel I learned much beyond the details reported from the public inquiry into this horrible murder.'
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Time Out London
September 6th, 2019

Prebble has bitten off more than she can chew, but she’s done it with her eyes open, and has smartly counterweighted the mad stuff with the Litvinenkos’ story.'
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The Telegraph (UK)
September 6th, 2019

I was left craving more sobriety and less vodka-bingey giddiness. Pandering to our need for escapist fun while openly commenting on that doesn’t fully lance the longstanding complacency about Russian affairs...'
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WhatsOnStage
September 6th, 2019

Political, engaged theatre of such scope is rare; theatre that presents its case with such flair, power, humour and emotional punch is rarer still. It's very wonderful.'
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London Theatre
September 12th, 2019

Prebble has an amazing ability to translate true stories into compellingly alive theatrical experiences. She does so by not just staging it as a documentary, but as a jumble of impressionistic scenes...'
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The Times (UK)
September 6th, 2019

It’s not for those who want a show that just gets on with the job. It is, however, as tender as it is clever, as incensed as it is inventive. It’s a wonderful one-off.'
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The Guardian (UK)
September 6th, 2019

Lucy Prebble's Litvinenko drama fascinates...Prebble once again...tells a complex story with great clarity and adopts a variety of techniques... to create a uniquely theatrical spectacle.'
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The Stage (UK)
September 6th, 2019

The play touches genre after genre, constantly twisting itself, always entertaining, and finally becoming its own weird and extraordinary thing: stunningly political and superbly theatrical.'
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Trailer