The Welkin
Closed 2h 50m
The Welkin
66

The Welkin London Reviews and Tickets

66%
(4 Reviews)
Positive
25%
Mixed
50%
Negative
25%
Members say
Resonant, Verbose, Absorbing, Long, Ambitious

About the Show

Lucy Kirkwood's courtroom drama in which twelve matrons are called on to decide one women's fate.

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Member Reviews (4)

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84 Reviews | 8 Followers
66
Epic, Great acting, Ambitious

See it if You want huge bold plays about the (mis)treatment of women

Don't see it if You think listening to 12 ish women chat for a few hours is not for you!

99 Reviews | 6 Followers
65
Verbose, Long, Intelligent

See it if you're a Maxine Peake fan.

Don't see it if you think that a long play that overwhelms you with words (but does nothing to back them up) may not be a good choice for you. Read more

24 Reviews | 0 Followers
85
Resonant, Great writing, Absorbing

See it if -

Don't see it if -

12 Reviews | 0 Followers
40
Slow, Resonant

See it if .

Don't see it if .

Critic Reviews (9)

Time Out London
February 7th, 2020

The play is relentlessly interesting, but for me it’s the dependence on melodramatic reveals to advance the plot that ultimately sinks ‘The Welkin’ a bit...there’s a magnificence in its muddle.'
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The London Evening Standard
January 23rd, 2020

There is something mechanical in the way Kirkwood works in references to unwise steaming of the female anatomy, or the endless rivalry of midwives and doctors … I just loved the sheer, gutsy audacity of it all.
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The Guardian (UK)
January 23rd, 2020

It is, above all, a cerebral play that does not require us to walk in these women’s shoes nor empathise with them...This makes it arduous and even slightly sterile to watch at times but also profoundly admirable.'
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The Times (UK)
January 23rd, 2020

Lucy Kirkwood’s play... has the makings of a taut psychological study. Yet inflated to three hours, the piece sprawls endlessly and drifts towards a melodramatic conclusion.'
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WhatsOnStage
January 23rd, 2020

The life of the play lies in the vividness of the portrait it paints...it is a brilliant, brave, bold and intelligent three hours in the theatre...often very funny yet at the close, profoundly moving.'
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London Theatre
January 27th, 2020

Some plays are easier to admire than to actually enjoy...it's a play of fierce ambition but muddled execution...And yet I was also constantly compelled, at least, by the superb ensemble cast.'
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The Stage (UK)
January 23rd, 2020

While the first half is beautifully calibrated, tight as a high wire, things slacken a bit in the second half...this audacious play’s strength lies in the richly textured picture it paints of these women and their lives...'
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The Arts Desk
January 23rd, 2020

Maxine Peake struggles to make the voice of reason heard in feminist history play... I really wanted to love this show, but the muddy production makes that very hard labour.'
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Trailer

Creative team