Mates in Chelsea London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (6)
See it if you like British farce as the humour is very topical
Don't see it if you don't like British sitcom humour
See it if You like to watch a light farcical social commentary about the rich. There is an unexpected pyrotechnics scene too.
Don't see it if You expect satire of highest quality. The last act trudges along with a monologue that felt tonally out of place.
See it if you like farcical Theatre- The art of mad humour, funny moments & comedic timing are all present
Don't see it if you are looking for a belly laugh of a show. This show is smiley not full on funny.
See it if You like witty comedy at the expense of obvious white privileged targets.
Don't see it if Swearing upsets you. Read more
See it if You enjoy a bit of a random storyline making comment on the upper class in a light hearted way. The acting was excellent, very funny places
Don't see it if Easily offended, want a serious social commentary, want a storyline that makes complete sense or is particularly dramatic
See it if You want to Delve into, rich people and how they live their lives. It is entertaining and funny, but you will only want to see it once
Don't see it if You don’t want to hear how Rich people spend their lives
Critic Reviews (11)
“A play of contemporary manners, lampooning the upper classes in the very area of London that they congregate should be a clever, satirical piece of writing. However, Mullarkey's script is meandering, unfunny and full of unfinished ideas.”
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“There are game performances all round, but the largely excellent cast just don’t have the material to work with...‘Mates in Chelsea’ feels like a toothless shadow of that high watermark, a bankrupt descendent, destined to be forgotten.”
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“You could argue that, like its superfluous anti-hero, the piece dabbles intellectually rather than fully dissects its subject...But through laughter and unexpected invitations to empathy, it valuably wrestles with the state we’re in, depicting, in Tug’s final mate-lessness, a social divide that looks as unsustainable as it is undesirable.”
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“After enduring this puerile would-be comedy by Rory Mullarkey I’m once again left wondering how an institution that was once renowned for being bold and innovative manages to keep unearthing new writing that is so feeble.”
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“The actors all remain admirably committed, and the production as a whole is diverting, even if the material is badly overstretched. But as a work of satire in a time of deepening inequality, when overconfident, underprepared toffs much like Tug and Charlton have wrought lasting damage on the nation, this is unforgivably toothless.”
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“Sam Pritchard’s production feels pacey and energetic, and although it sometimes struggles to pull together all of it’s narrative threads there’s more than enough here to make it an enjoyable evening. ‘Mates In Chelsea’ is braver than it first appears, taking satire to a level where some might not even realise that’s what it’s intended to be.”
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"A lot of the humour depends on the funny foreigner stereotypes — a variety of heavy accents — beloved of British playwrights, and this tends to undercut Mullarkey’s serious points about how the childish and impoverished British aristos are fair game for worldly and loaded Russian tycoons."
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“The script overworks itself to show rather than tell...’Mates in Chelsea’ stems from a funny concept but in the large space downstairs at the Royal Court, it feels like a satirical comedy sketch that has been overstretched to vapidity in order to fit a full length play.”
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