Mad House (London) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (58)
See it if Themes of family mental illness and suicide don’t upset you.
Don't see it if You uncomfortable with themes of assisted dying, illness family conflict and mental ill health.
See it if you want to see a brilliantly dark comedy that is thoughtful, emotional and hilarious in equal measure.
Don't see it if the themes in the play: death, mental illness, are likely to upset you or make you uncomfortable. Read more
See it if You enjoy dark humour but in a show that has a great story and is impeccably acted. Very thought provoking and emotional whilst enjoyable.
Don't see it if You can't handle themes of death and loss or are looking for something fluffy and uplifting.
See it if you like clever thought-provoking writing and don't mind politically incorrect dialogue, discussions of mental illness, and themes of death
Don't see it if you have a problem with verbal abuse, depiction of drug/alcohol use, politically incorrect dialogue, mental illness, and themes of death Read more
See it if you enjoy dark humour and family stories
Don't see it if you don’t want to be involved in a dark family situation
See it if you want great acting! Broken family in crisis, small talk develops into antics & dark humour. Laugh out loud funny.
Don't see it if Contains declining health, bad language.
See it if You like comedies that have substance and will make you think. A play that combines funny moments with some dramatic ones.
Don't see it if You are expecting to see a hilarious play that will make you cackle from beginning to end.
See it if Great acting, and I really enjoyed the writing. Very funny at times
Don't see it if Pretty typical of a "family home drama" play, of which there are many.
Critic Reviews (12)
‘Mad House’ has an absolutely tremendous cast who were never not going to be able to carry this off. But ultimately you’re left with a play that doesn’t know if it wants to be ‘Hamlet’ or ‘Clybourne Park’, and suffers as a result.
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In a play with too many half-drawn, derivative characters, [Harbour] is the one for whom we end up caring. It is ultimately a play with bits of brilliance ... but falling – heroically – short.
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The dark comedy draws you in, but hits the snag of leaving you a bit high and dry when you yourself are required to care. The evening makes valid points about how hard the family straitjacket can be to escape. But the elaboration of resentments has a pre-fab quality.
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The first hour or so delivers an absorbing blend of dark and light, anguish and humour. Sadly, that delicate balance goes awry later. It’s still a thought-provoking piece, but you’re left wondering what might have been.
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Director Moritz Von Stuelpnagel holds the wildly divergent tonal shifts together as best he can, and the cast are never less than watchable but the overall impact is strangely muffled.
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[This] offbeat black comedy loses focus despite meaty performances from David Harbour and Bill Pullman. Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel ... bulks up the text with plenty of purposeful non-verbal cues.
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Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel keeps things pacy, and secures fine, flamboyant performances from this A-grade cast. But still, this is all deeply old-fashioned stuff which ... could have easily been written any time in the last five decades.
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The themes of mental health and our own mortality makes it sound like Mad House should be a serious affair, but it’s not entirely. The play is wickedly funny, filled with witty one-liners and clever comedy constructs, all helped by Bill Pullman’s exceptional comedy timing.
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