Ulster American London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (60)
See it if You want to laugh out loud. Brilliant play and performances.
Don't see it if You want something "politically correct"
See it if You like clever and thought-provoking, yet silly, plays. A play in which the absurd is done right and laughs are guaranteed
Don't see it if You don't like politics, discussions around wokeness, absurd plays or are not at all familiar with Irish history (particularly the Troubles) Read more
See it if You enjoy clever writing and excellent performances by household names
Don't see it if you are offended by discussion about rape
See it if you're here for discussions of nationality, Ireland, gender, racism and identity on a backdrop of theatre creatives going absolutely mental
Don't see it if you think paying over £30 for a 90 minute play is ridiculous (I was lucky with presale)
See it if you enjoy dark humour. Blend of instability & coolness It is an excellent example of a dark comedy in the truest sense of the word.
Don't see it if Disturbing themes/offensive language/violence
See it if some superb acting and good laughs are more important to you than a strong plot and multifaceted characters
Don't see it if repeated jokes about rape, lots of unnecessary swearing and inconsistencies in the story significantly reduce your enjoyment of a play Read more
See it if you want to watch famous actors on stage. also, if it’s easy to make you laugh
Don't see it if you want to see something that’s actually authentic and fun
See it if You enjoy controversial comedy from an award winning cast!
Don't see it if You can't sit through the full thing. There is not an interval.
Critic Reviews (10)
“Woody Harrelson sends himself up mercilessly in this purposely offensive theatre-world farce from 2018, which continues writer David Ireland’s mission to shock audiences out of complacency.”
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"Ireland aims to offend, and I was somewhat offended, job done (I did enjoy the jokes about how much they all hate theatre critics). I suppose that’s how you stay a cult artist. Plus, it you’re going to be subjected to wearying gags about sexual assault, it might as well be from that nice Woody Harrelson!"
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"The character development becomes hamstrung by the play’s limitations, with all three apoplectically overacting by the end. But the performances far outshine the play and are reason enough to see this imperfect, anarchic production."
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“...aside from a denouement that achieves that rare thing, shock-value, the evening offers the unmistakable pleasure that an actor of Harrelson’s stature has bothered to come over, and throw himself into a gleeful portrait of a visiting Yank as the grisly epitome of preening, mansplaining insufferability.”
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"I’m still of the opinion that the character revelations are often gerrymandered for effect: quite a few of the twists across Jeremy Herrin’s pacey, interval-free production have to be taken on faith. But if you’re going to brave the gruesome funfair into which Ireland and co. plunge an audience head-first, you could hardly be in better hands."
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“Walking a line between slapstick scrambling and visceral violence, the bloody sequence encapsulates the play’s tension between grotesque comedy and cruelty, as the characters finally abandon all civility and tear into each other with animalistic ferocity.”
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“Powerful, thought-provoking. Gritty, raw, and unashamedly real, the ability it has to make you cry with laughter one moment and make your blood boil with rage the next showcase the phenomenal nature of the writing, made even better by inspired direction and what may well be the best cast you see in a play this year. ‘Ulster American’ demands your attention and with a show as flawless as this, there is no way it is not going to get it.”
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“It all makes for a riotously enjoyable evening, and though I’m sure it doesn’t need the help of a dreaded critic to ensure it becomes a hot ticket, trust me when I say – do whatever you can to bag one.”
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