Rock 'N' Roll London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (9)
See it if you like a character and soundtrack-driven plot, if you like a play which really makes you think, if you like a sweeping narrative
Don't see it if you're not interested in Cold War politics, hate vinyl - many records are played and displayed, you're left cold by culture wars
See it if You want to see a classic Tom Stoppard Play
Don't see it if Very dated and hard to follow without a good understanding of the time period its set.
See it if You like Tom Stoppard, or are particularly interested in the cold-war era Europe.
Don't see it if You don't like political discourse or very wordy plays Read more
See it if Firstly, a a great play-text, wide-ranging in scope. Expect clever writing and effective acting with laughs and moments to think.
Don't see it if Didn’t feel as topical as some historical/political play revivals sometimes do. Traverse stage worked for me personally.
See it if You're a fan of Stoppard's sparkling ideas and dialogue. It's all here as ever but just felt stodgier and more timid than it should.
Don't see it if You want to see something groundbreaking. I was surprised by how dated this felt. It doesn't really come alive until the end, way too late.
See it if Extremely well acted
Don't see it if Maybe a bit political or set in a time that some younger audiences might not be familiar with
See it if If you are interested in geopolitics and intellectualism and music!
Don't see it if If you are looking for a musical
See it if You like being challenged
Don't see it if You want mainstream entertainment
Critic Reviews (13)
“Under Nina Raine's fluent direction, Parker is a solid presence throughout as the ever-tetchy Morrow... While Stoppard struggles here to give his female characters the same love and attention he pours into Max and Jan, Nancy Carroll is a real treat in the dual role of Eleanor and the adult Esme while Phoebe Horn adds bounce and energy throughout."
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“Stoppard’s 2006 play asks important ideological questions with typically fizzing wordplay but its growling, feral energy comes too late”
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“The meat of the play is the intersection – and sometimes the sharp bifurcation – between the personal and the political at a time and place in history when one’s very choice of music can itself seem seditious...But, equally, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ invites you to succumb to the innate musicality of the material, which exerts its own grip well before the company is seen rocking out collectively to the Rolling Stones.”
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“Part trenchant political-history lecture, part slow-burning romantic comedy, Tom Stoppard’s 2006 drama is a sprawling, self-indulgent piece packed with fascinating ideas.”
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“What makes it all worth it is the enduring quality of some of the writing. There are moments where Stoppard settles in and lets rip: big battling speeches about politics and humanity and all that good stuff. Zinging lines. Even emotion, bucking the received wisdom about Stoppard’s plays that head always beats heart.”
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“Nathaniel Parker holds the play together with his mixture of opinionated anger and occasional moments of softer emotion...Still, the play still fascinates: come on oldies, let’s rock again!”
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“Stoppard clashes together multiple ideas in this lusty, messy, exuberant play, allowing almost every character to hang themselves on the ropes of their moral confusion while largely withholding judgement...’Rock n Roll’ contains, too, an eerily prescient note, the intimation that tanks and totalitarianism come in many forms. ”
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“This isn’t a biographical play. As the ideological conversations build and break over the years it spans, and cast members swap out one character for another, it’s really the story of a relationship – the fragile, often fraught one we have with our own beliefs.”
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