Bach & Sons London Reviews and Tickets

80%

(4 Ratings)

Positive

75%

Mixed

25%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Slow, Absorbing, Edgy, Creative

About the Show

A new comedy looking at family life, eccentricity and the musical genius of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Nina Raine's new play, inspired by the real-life story of the acclaimed composer, reflects on the meaning of music and the influence of family and love. Bach has his quirks and his employers aren't always fans. His family is made up of gifted musicians with strong opinions, so when debates arise, things get fiery. Starring Simon Russell Beale and directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Show-Score Member Reviews (4)

Riveting, Great writing, Great acting, Clever, Absorbing

See it if you applaud inventive directing and brilliant acting. Fascinating play that explores the complex Johann Sebastian Bach and his relationships

Don't see it if you're not very cultured and have no affection for the complex mind of a genius.

Creative, Slow

See it if you like a good story about a real person, but don't mind it being slightly fictitionalised and not 100% true (or you like Bach).

Don't see it if you like fast-paced plays or you're a stickler for absolute accuracy in a biopic. Read more

Thought-provoking, Slow, Profound, Intelligent, Great acting

See it if You enjoy classical music and want to see a dramatic retelling of Bach's life.

Don't see it if You don't like slow pacing.

Edgy, Great staging, Great acting, Entertaining

See it if You like great acting, and you’re interested in Bach.

Don't see it if If you’re not into slow plays (or Bach)

Critic Reviews (9)

But ultimately this play revolves - wittily, cleverly, but repetitively - around the themes of flawed genius and the poisonous legacies of fame and family.
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But ‘Bach & Sons’ is entertaining stuff, made with care, and if the drama is on the cosy side, it’s worth saying the music always thrills, melodic razors of harpsichord, slashing thrilling patterns through the air.
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Bach’s musical theories are delivered in stagnant conversation...It is maddening to see all the signs of a powerful play folded inside a frustratingly flat one.
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A bold play of ideas, then, but also an invitation to tears; after the indescribable year we’ve had, it’s a stirring and unmissable occasion.
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Nina Raine’s new play Bach & Sons (premiered now in a production by Nicholas Hytner that moves with a terrific musicality) is typically sly, in the know and phenomenally eloquent.
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You are left with the feeling that while it is immensely difficult to dramatise genius, this is a deeply intelligent and humane investigation of what drove and defined the man who has left us such a profound cultural legacy.
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Rather than aggressive and frantic, Raine's text is pensive, inquisitive at times...But for the most part the piece feels encumbered by historical exposition when director Nick Hytner could make it lithe and punchy...
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Bach’s musical theories are delivered in stagnant conversation...It is maddening to see all the signs of a powerful play folded inside a frustratingly flat one.
Read more

Trailer

Creative team