The Third Man London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (25)
See it if You’re a musical theatre fan, and want to see a great show in a highly renowned smaller venue. Don’t need to know the original source
Don't see it if You’re not into musical theatre, or are looking for a big funny show. This follows the feel and style of the film closely
See it if You like noir genre. This was quite different to other musicals I have watched
Don't see it if You have watched the movie as that's what the guy next to me opined. I hadn't and so enjoyed it better.
See it if Willing to explore a dark, dangerous and morally ambiguous Vienna. The staging and musical underscoring are excellent and feel cinematic.
Don't see it if Wanting a traditional musical. You’ve never seen one like this.
See it if You like thrillers
Don't see it if You don’t like slow theatre
See it if you want to see a film noir innovatively turned into a musical with some strong performances and a creative use of a small space.
Don't see it if you prefer a story that makes sense as a musical. This story doesn't really work as a musical and likely would be better as a straight play.
See it if You liked the film and want something very like it
Don't see it if You are easily bored and tired of gritty cost of living crulisisdramas though in this case a post war Austrian one. Read more
See it if You were genuinely intrigued by the show, although regrettably, it didn't quite meet the expectations of a complex story
Don't see it if You are expecting a show where characters are given the justice it deserved
See it if You’re very into Graham Greene.
Don't see it if Really not for me. Good setting, band seemed good, and the cast seemed good but that’s about it. Agree with the time out review.
Critic Reviews (12)
"It sadly lacks the charm of a good noir and the kick of a great musical. It feels outdated and astonishingly boring."
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“This show has much more pointless running around and shouting in the half-dark. The songs are inserted into the story rather than growing organically out of it. You can’t blame anyone for trying. The creative team here have a record, together and separately, of turning unlikely subjects into musical gold. Not this time, though.”
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"The production is let down by pace, which feels oddly sleepy but there are gorgeous aesthetics and plenty of atmosphere to see us through."
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“In the end, Christopher Hampton, Trevor Nunn and co don’t provide a totally convincing answer to the obvious question: why bother trying to make a musical out of one of the most atmospheric films of all time? But give them some credit for creating a brooding, ambitious near-miss.”
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“...the show gives off dogged, clunky determination in place of actual inspiration. This ‘Third Man,’ I’m afraid, feels like a spare part.”
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“With a new war raging over the soul of Europe, this might have been a powerful dispatch from history. Instead, it desecrates an artistic great, unnecessarily vocalising a tale in which the silence was sacred.”
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“This stylish but unsatisfying new musical adaptation...captures a little of the mystery and melancholy of Greene’s story, but never generates enough menace to feel gripping...It’s just a shame that the lacklustre songwriting doesn’t match up to the stylish production.”
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“There is nothing to justify its existence on stage. Pointless and boring, the best thing about ‘The Third Man’ is the fact that it won’t make the slightest bit of difference to the legacy of the film. And in case anyone thinks it’s harsh to judge the musical by the standards of the film, well it’s kinder than judging the show on its own terms.”
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