“...it swings the pendulum wildly in the other direction — yielding interesting results, but trampling over much of the play’s pleasures in the process.”
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"Some will complain (and have) that the result negates the comedy coursing through this time-honored text; I would argue that the laughs are still there, tempered in this instance by an awareness of the lacerations oftentimes inflicted by love."
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"Longhurst’s production isn’t revisionist. But it strips away the protective barrier of everything being one big joke; it injects naturalism to this most stylised of comedies, and in doing so makes it much bleaker."
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“Stephen Mangan and Rachael Stirling lead a revival that features not the usual harmless lovers' ding-dong but distressing domestic violence.”
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"'Private Lives' has many wonderful moments. With a simple, witty and often hilarious script and strong performances from such a small cast. It should be outstanding and yet leaves you feeling a little uncomfortable. Maybe that’s the point; you’ll have to go and see for yourself."
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“It is drama of such knife-edge ferocity that it’s impossible to turn away. You want to cry, even as you are laughing.”
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“This show was clearly planned as a crowd-pleaser, a reappraisal of a classic and a star vehicle, but it doesn’t fully satisfy on any of those counts.”
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“...Rachael Stirling and Stephen Mangan as Coward’s fatefully reunited divorcees, puts its pain more firmly centre stage than usual. The results are mixed, and lower on laughs than you expect. And yet it’s an interesting evening.”
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