Reviews
The Guardian
Michael Billington
“The critic Fintan O'Toole was spot on when he said Barry has more in common with Yeats than with modern Irish dramatists. Barry's primary impulse is poetic and, even if his play is short on strong dramatic collisions, it is beautifully written and shows the impact of Lizzie's theatrical vitality and Robert's renegade spirit on a declining, spiritually corseted culture. Time and again, Barry makes his points through language.”
02/07/2012
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The Daily Telegraph
Daisy Bowie-Sell
“Having such a loving relationship at the centre of the play blunts the politics, and although the central couple’s lives become difficult, the play’s positive ending feels a little like a cop-out. But Barry’s two characters give what happens to the family a real sense of poignancy.”
05/07/2012
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Time Out
Andrzej Lukowski
“Chekhov is an obvious touchstone for Barry's bittersweet, gently amusing portrayal of romance blossoming amongst fading European aristocracy. But McIntyre's production surges with optimism, a feeling that Lizzie and Robert's love could transcend Victorian social shackles and help build a fairer future. Lizzie Finn shares DNA with Three Sisters, but is also its negative: a play filled with real belief in the possibilities of escape and starting anew.”
02/07/2012
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The Times
Sam Marlowe
“Its leisurely ebb and flow of brief, impressionistic scenes and quirky characters has charm, but little impetus. Blanche McIntyre directs with flair and elegance, but the writing, despite glancing at some weighty themes, remains frustratingly wispy.”
04/07/2012
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The Financial Times
Sarah Hemming
“It’s surprising, for this delicate tragicomedy often shows the writer at his best: it has both lyricism and humour and shows a moving concern for the people who don’t fit conveniently into historical pigeon-holes. It could dig deeper into its characters’ personal struggles and it tends to skate over the important social changes it depicts, but it is an absorbing watch.”
03/07/2012
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The Independent on Sunday
Claudia Pritchard
“Little is explained about the new tenancy laws that impoverish the landlords, and it is hard to believe that Lizzie's savings from Weston can save the day, but Sebastian Barry writes amusingly: Lizzie thinks that poached salmon is stolen; a letter is "as formal as a hedge". ”
08/07/2012
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The Observer
Kate Kellaway
“Shereen Martin's fine, dark, willowy Lizzie has no music hall vulgarity about her, suggesting that breeding has nothing to do with birth. Her friendship with Jelly Jane is especially touching. At one point they are briskly applying makeup to one another's faces – each a mirror to her friend – before going on at the music hall. It's a shorthand to closeness and an example of the graceful practicality of McIntyre's style.”
08/07/2012
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The Stage
Natasha Tripney
“Blanche McIntyre’s atmospheric production compensates for the play’s curious lack of narrative momentum. There are frequent fades to black, each scene more like a snapshot than the last. ”
02/07/2012
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