Lyonesse (West End) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (25)
See it if you want to see superb acting that explores coercive behaviour & subtle ways in which women continue to struggle in a male-dominated world
Don't see it if you dislike plays with a very obvious narrative structure or expect to see a #metoo story line Read more
See it if You like serious plays
Don't see it if You prefer musicals
See it if You want to see great acting by movie stars
Don't see it if You like an ending to be left to your imagination
See it if a masterclass in acting with a special undertone of a dark message we should all understand
Don't see it if your not into strange or dark subjects
See it if You like star-studded casts (though their performances are not phenomenal).
Don't see it if Plot is a bit surreal and all over the place. The me too topic has been explored and this offers nothing new. Lacks depth and pace at times.
See it if Want to see famous movie actors on stage
Don't see it if Don’t like long plays with unsatisfactory plots
See it if you want to see famous actresses on stage and enjoy one evening Netflix movies
Don't see it if you’re expecting something original and authentic
See it if you want to see starry names, and really good acting; you enjoy Sunset Boulevard meets Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf meets Life in Squares
Don't see it if you want a plot which follows through on ideas - lots of ideas picked up but never explored fully or in-depth, it falls into cliche a lot
Critic Reviews (12)
“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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“A character speaks of the importance of keeping up the fight but that fight seems to have died in them both by the drama’s end. If this is Skinner’s conclusion on where we are in our post #MeToo world, it is bleak indeed.”
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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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“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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“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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“Skinner’s sharply observed writing is full of humour, wit and fragments of poetry. Director Ian Rickson never rushes the sprawling, stately scenes, allowing plenty of time for the endearingly flawed characters to grow on us, and for doubts to fester”
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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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The star casting here means that Lyonesse is pretty much guaranteed a sold out run, but audiences are likely to be more enamoured with the cast than the story, which is enjoyable enough, if a little underwhelming.
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