The Animal Kingdom London Reviews and Tickets

66%

(1 Rating)

Positive

Mixed

100%

Negative

Members say

Disappointing, Great acting, Cliched

About the Show

The world premiere of Ruby Thomas' play tackling fraught family dynamics.

Sam feels ostracized to the point where he feels as if he's not human. His family fails to understand him; however, they barely understand themselves. As they begin family therapy at an in-patient clinic, they must find new ways to communicate with one other so that Sam can be released from captivity.

Lucy Morrison directs.

Show-Score Member Reviews (1)

66%

Cliched, Disappointing, Great Acting

See it if You like soap opera Family in therapy drama, short and tight.

Don't see it if you like a play to surprise you.

Critic Reviews (4)

It’s only some 80 minutes long, yet Ruby Thomas’s absorbing facsimile of a family therapy session resembles one of those undulating courtroom dramas where personalities shift in and out of focus under cross-examination. The performances have a note-perfect, fly-on-the wall quality; Lucy Morrison’s direction is always sure-footed.
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Lucy Morrison directs this intimate piece with a light touch and without the need for constant shouting to convey strong emotions...This is a thoughtful family drama that demonstrates the importance of active listening.
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In a series of gripping group therapy scenes, we find out about the family breakdown that has brought student Sam to this place, but it’s not until the final stretch that anyone puts a name to what he has done.
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With just a few mistuned lines tweaked and a less clumpy trounce from each revelation to the next, The Animal Kingdom is nearly complete triumph. It's heavy, yes, but funny, humane and very rewarding. Ultimately, what emerges from Thomas' therapeutic drawing-room is an exciting indication of things to come.
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Trailer

Creative team