Till The Stars Come Down - Review

 Theatre Royal Haymarket, London

*****

Written by Beth Steel

Directed by Bijan Sheibani

Dorothy Atkinson

The West End transfer of the National Theatre's Till The Stars Come Down sees this stunning new play evolve into a production that is as stellar as its title.

Powerfully perceptive and set in a northern mining village where the pit has long since closed, Beth Steel’s writing focuses on three sisters on the day of the youngest sibling’s wedding. Rarely does a narrative soar from brilliantly observed (and perfectly timed) hilarity one minute, to harrowing family despair the next as passions, secrets and lies merge to fuel a narrative that culminates in perhaps the most exquisitely performed heartbreak to be found in London today.

This is a story about love, desire, resentment, ageing, grief and bigotry with Bijan Sheibani’s company of 10 all delivering faultless expertise in their acting. The sororal trio comprises Sinead Matthews (as Sylvia, the bride) and Lucy Black (as Hazel) returning to the production from the National, with Aisling Loftus (Maggie) a newcomer to the transfer. All three are powerhouse performers. Also returning are Philip Whitchurch as the bride’s Uncle Pete and Alan Williams as Tony, the sisters’ widowered father. Williams in particular delivers a turn that is a masterclass in understated excellence.

The evening’s comedy moments are driven by Dorothy Atkinson’s Aunty Carol, a woman who is as monstrous as she is relatable and recognisable. Gifted most of the evening’s snappy one-liners, Atkinson is the definition of tragi-comical brilliance.

The show is a technical treat with Samal Blak’s ingenious revolve being perfectly lit as ever by Paule Constable.

Beth Steel’s writing was good last year on the South Bank. Performed by this company at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, it’s bloody brilliant and the capital's drama highlight of the summer!

Runs until 27th September

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Till The Stars Come Down - Review

National Theatre, London

****

Written by Beth Steel

Directed by Bijan Sheibani

Sinéad Matthews

As three sisters and their families gather for Sylvia’s (the youngest of the three siblings) wedding, Beth Steel’s new play is all about the wedding day from dawn to dusk. But set in a Nottinghamshire mining village that had its heart ripped out when the pit closed, so does Steel’s narrative eviscerate the assembled extended family over its 24-hour arc.

The sisters’ mother is dead, so it is down to Lorraine Ashbourne as the wonderfully egomaniacal Aunty Carol to pass judgemental opinions across one and all. Lucy Black, Lisa McGrillis and Sinéad Matthews (as Sylvia) are all outstanding as the sisters, with Alan Williams putting in a fabulously gnarled performance as their widowered father Tony.

For the most part, the ensemble work on display here is top-notch. Steel captures simmering sexual energies, jealousies and envies with a sharper eye than Ayckbourn and as the wedding day descends into a literal and emotional bloodbath of infidelities, the  protagonists’ pain is tangible, with many moments making for first-class theatre.

Bijan Sheibani directs with a sensitive perception, the story’s only flaw being its overly shallow portrayal of British bigotry towards Sylvia’s Polish husband Marek (Marc Wooton).

Samal Blak’s set design makes a neat use of the Dorfman Theatre’s revolve while Paule Constance’s lighting work deploys possibly the best use of a glitterball ever seen on a London stage.

Well worth seeing for a glimpse of the impact of de-industrialisation on England’s north.

Runs until 16th March

Photo credit:Manuel Harlan