Cruise (London)
Closed 1h 30m
Cruise (London)
92

Cruise (London) London Reviews and Tickets

92%
(51 Reviews)
Positive
96%
Mixed
2%
Negative
2%
Members say
Absorbing, Entertaining, Great acting, Clever, Great writing

About the Show

Jack Holden's Olivier Award-nominated play exploring queer culture in the 1980s returns to the West End.

Read more Show less

Member Reviews (51)

Sort by:
  • Default
  • Standing in our community
  • Highest first
  • Lowest first
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Only positive
  • Only negative
  • Only mixed
Nic
494 Reviews | 94 Followers
95
Great acting, Moving, Resonant, Relevant, Absorbing

See it if you’d like a SUPERB show in which a young man learns what it was like living through the 80s as a gay man grappling with the AIDS crisis.

Don't see it if you don’t like funny, moving, beautiful theater experiences. This is a masterpiece performed by a phenomenal actor.

116 Reviews | 17 Followers
100
Great acting, Riveting, Masterful

See it if you want to see a completely mesmerising one man show. Supremely well acted, thoughtful, funny, heartfelt. Spectacular from start to finish.

Don't see it if you’re put off entirely by the notion of a one man show, though this is the best I’ve ever seen by some margin.

91 Reviews | 10 Followers
100
Must see, Great writing, Great acting, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if you like to be transformed and transfixed into a whole new world

Don't see it if don't like gay culture

83 Reviews | 3 Followers
85
History, Raw/edgy, Entertaining, Absorbing, Important

See it if you want a vibrant distinctive experience, hear the history of gay men's challenges, love & friendship in the 80s Educates & motivates.

Don't see it if you have a closed mind.

70 Reviews | 6 Followers
95
Resonant, Relevant, Intense, Funny, Absorbing

See it if You love fantastically acted one-person performances with masterful sound design. With an important lesson of queer history added in.

Don't see it if You don't like good plays for some reason

44 Reviews | 3 Followers
91
Thought-provoking, Enchanting, Delightful, Clever, Absorbing

See it if I went into this not expecting much and was amazed. I loved it, was completed immersed.

Don't see it if If you do not like one man shows.

33 Reviews | 0 Followers
90
Masterful, Great acting, Funny, Absorbing, Ambitious

See it if You want to see something new. Amazing look at being gay in the 80s and so absorbing for a one man show. Insanely good!

Don't see it if You are triggered by the subject of the aids crisis.

30 Reviews | 0 Followers
100
Masterful, Great staging, Great acting, Ambitious, Clever

See it if You wanna see a great show, u will laugh and cry and its impressive that its all 1 person but also so honest and lovely

Don't see it if It will be too triggering, it deals with a really tough topic in a raw way, so take care of yourself

Critic Reviews (11)

The Telegraph (UK)
August 18th, 2022

"The play persuasively inhabits a carpe diem state of mind as much as it pays homage to a community history, and counters its more indulgent moments with waspish observation."
Read more

Shy Strange Manic
August 23rd, 2022

Cruise is, simply put, a masterclass in single-person performance. From the exquisite writing, to the impressively engaging performance, to the sound design which propels the show forward almost slingshot-like with its energy, Cruise is one of the best pieces of theatre you’ll see this year.
Read more

The London Evening Standard
August 19th, 2022

"The poetic script, which runs the gamut from comedic accounts of the salacious goings on in the back streets of Soho to a gut-wrenching list of men who were lost to the AIDS epidemic, takes you on an emotional rollercoaster without ever once losing its hold on your attention."
Read more

The London Evening Standard
May 21st, 2021
For a previous production

Still, [Cruise is] a remarkable achievement for young actor Jack Holden, who wrote the script under lockdown and performs it with vast charm, empathy and energy.
Read more

The Telegraph (UK)
May 20th, 2021
For a previous production

As the West End reopens, the pick of the young crop is Jack Holden’s self-performed debut about life on London’s gay scene in the 1980s.
Read more

WhatsOnStage
May 21st, 2021
For a previous production

But [Cruise] is a remarkable tour-de-force, directed with inventive control by Bronagh Lagan, and powered by Holden's passionate, loving performance which conjures and celebrates all these lost men.
Read more

London Theatre
May 24th, 2021
For a previous production

A paean to a sybaritic Soho of a vanished era, Cruise namechecks the bars and, well, cruising locales of an earlier era, while the music encompasses Gloria Gaynor and Patsy Cline and many others besides.
Read more

The Stage (UK)
May 21st, 2021
For a previous production

Elliott’s soundtrack drives the play but it’s the richness of Holden’s narrative that grabs our attention. His story, like the music, is familiar but told with remarkable freshness and flair.
Read more