“There’s so much to explore here, but neither Skinner nor director Ian Rickson ever settle on a consistent tone. ‘Lyonesse’ has some good moments of satire – mainly via the always-excellent Doon Mackichan as morally bankrupt film boss Sue – and even a strange slapstick sequence...But it doesn’t have a secure foundation for a drama involving such sensitive issues because the characters don’t ring true”
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“ ‘Lyonesse’ has been given a stage far too grand for its merits, and does little to shift the narrative or further the #MeToo movement.”
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“Disappointingly for such a powerful subject, the piece is largely schematic and morally obvious, but leavened by flashes of inspiration, in the main provided by a joyfully eccentric turn from Kristin Scott Thomas.”
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“The whole thing is a bit baggy and broad, moving suddenly in different directions, but it’s bound together by Ian Rickson’s sensitive, detailed direction. Its themes are riveting, and although the final destination isn’t entirely satisfying, it’s hard not to enjoy the journey especially in the company of so strong a cast.”
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“Whatever drew Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James to Penelope Skinner’s shambling, implausible exploration of the raw deal women get utterly fails to materialise on stage. The characters are underdeveloped, the narrative heavy with exposition”
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"Lyonesse is a flimsy but fascinating creation, an elaborate structure built on a solid bedrock of feminist truths."
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“If you were to stumble across Penelope Skinner’s new drama in a thinly populated corner of the Edinburgh Fringe, you would put it down as an undergrad experiment. To find it in the West End, with Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James in the lead roles, is bizarre.”
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“Penelope Skinner’s ‘Lyonesse’ is incredible at best. Through multilayered and complex writing which leaves you questioning the reality at times, it is a thought-provoking and powerful look at the silencing of women.”
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