Death of England: Closing Time London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (8)
See it if You like intelligent plays fueled with emotion.
Don't see it if You like plays with large casts that are light and funny. Read more
See it if You want to see a piece of modern British theatre
Don't see it if You dont like intense performances
See it if you are interested in life in modern Britain in 2023, explored through the lens of a mixed race family. Superb acting and intriguing set.
Don't see it if you don't like monologues or are not interested in multicultural Britain Read more
See it if You want to watch a discourse on the current political and social milieu. The set is one of the best I have seen, very cutting edge
Don't see it if You are looking for a traditional play as this was more mono acts switching between characters involving long rant like monologues
See it if you want to see a woman focused play, enjoy monologues, some audience interaction or enjoy discussions of contemporary Britain
Don't see it if you find discussions of racism, hateful attitudes, prejudice or portrayal of drug taking difficult; you like even writing - Act 2 is fuller
See it if you enjoy a good gutsy London drama with excellent acting.
Don't see it if prefer bigger stage productions. It’s quite stripped back.
See it if A sensitive topic tackled in a masterful way and with good humour. Amazing how only 2 people on stage can achieve so much.
Don't see it if It's a poignant, wordy play which will make you think
See it if You liked the other three DoE plays/films -and/or want a complex and nuanced play about gender, race and society today
Don't see it if You aren’t at least slightly familiar with the other DoE plays and film (summaries are in the programme for this one!)
Critic Reviews (10)
"Some of the script meanders in places but it finds its feet in the end. Arguably that is part of its freewheeling charm. It still packs an urgent punch regardless."
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“This is effectively two monologues spliced together, with audience interaction and supplementary characters summoned by anecdotes....But one of the great things about ‘Death of England’ is how nimbly responsive it’s been, to contemporary events and to professional setbacks. The alchemy that Duncan-Brewster and Squires have cooked up together in a week marks a fitting end to a uniquely unlucky, uniquely brilliant piece of theatre.”
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“...‘Closing Time’ unsurpisingly lacks the razor-sharp insights into femininity that its predecessors had into masculinity.”
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“The women are ultimately slightly generic yet lovable. Love, in the end, is the point...You can’t help but be moved as they walk into the future together, hand in hand.”
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“The writing, though, isn’t quite as taut; over the course of more than two and a half hours, the evening drifts. Yet the moments when the two women alternate between suspicion and hard-won friendship make it worthwhile.”
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“The first half feels slightly too long, but then the narrative twists and grips, pushing forwards to a conclusion that is tentatively optimistic.”
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“With that comes a reminder that multicultural England demands multiple viewpoints, and that it is both the job and the joy of the theatre to give those perspectives pride of place, for which achievement ‘Death of England’ deserve a bow.”
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“This final instalment is the most flawed, but the ‘Death of England’ project has proved a mighty, rapid-response record of an explosive period. It almost seems fitting that there should be some turbulence in its conclusion – and kudos to Duncan-Brewster for her valiant last-minute save.”
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