Backstairs Billy (West End) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (26)
See it if A great comedy with entertaining performances. Really enjoyable.
Don't see it if You don’t find the elites funny. Or easily offended. There’s a bit of crude humour in here.
See it if You adore the Queen Mother. You will adore her even more.
Don't see it if You think the monarchy should not be the subject of broad humor.
See it if You want a joyful, funny play that's easy to watch, has 2 brilliant leading actors (and has a bit of crude humour!)
Don't see it if You're not interested in the royal family, or you're easily offended. It's set in the 70s so the language used reflects this.
See it if you enjoy a classic British comedy, wonderfully acted, and with added Corgis
Don't see it if you want something cerebral. This is simple but is also part of its wonderful charm
See it if you enjoy lighthearted embellished tales of friendship & a touch of rebellious enthusiasm.
Don't see it if you are hoping to see a true story of William Tallon, butler to the Queen mother.
See it if you like British comedy and Royal Family and not be offended by political correctly outdated contents.
Don't see it if you don’t know much about Queen Mother. If you are against for training animals for entertainment. Real dogs are used.
See it if This is a story of the late Queen mother and her Butler. The show is very entertaining and you will come out smiling and remembering quotes.
Don't see it if Funny plays
See it if you like 'conversation' and typical english sarcasm. There are adorable corgis in the show too!!
Don't see it if you don't want to absorb conversations
Critic Reviews (14)
“Grandage’s production is consistently funny, and the performances entertain, but this play really doesn’t know what it’s saying.”
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“The writing has sophistication and some jokes are funny but this is the epitome of theatre as light entertainment.”
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“Abounding with witty entertainment and curiosity value, augmented by scene-stealing appearances from two real-life corgis, it confirms the promise shown by Marcelo Dos Santos with his comic monologue”
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“Marcelo Dos Santos’s ‘Backstairs Billy’ is a strange thing. Not six characters in search of an author, but a set of good lines in search of a play...’Backstairs Billy’, for all its humour, feels like a smudged snapshot rather than a fully realised portrait.”
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“Those who might dismiss ‘Backstairs Billy’ as so much heightened gossip would do well to heed its warning about societal divides that on this evidence can never be breached.”
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“This impeccably played comedy of manners nicely balances palace gossip with broader ideas about class, power, and way that tradition can both comfort and stifle...We can’t live in the past forever, but this lively visit is a right royal romp.”
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“It’s amusing, and toys gingerly with social issues...Yet it never properly alights on any particular sense of purpose. Even in Michael Grandage’s supremely accomplished production, with flawless performances from Penelope Wilton and Luke Evans and a couple of real corgis scampering about, it is toothless.”
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“...’Backstairs Billy’ is at its strongest when it brings its twisted dynamics to life. Still, even in its fluffiest moments, it’s altogether enjoyable”
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