Benedict Nightingale in
The Times
5 March 2003

"[Strindberg's] mad-eyed ghost should be delighted with Sean Mathias's revival. . . . Ian McKellen, balefully partnered by a sour, wintry Frances de la Tour, draws on whatever powered his Macbeth and his Iago — and gives a performance to match each."

Full review by Benedict Nightingale

Michael Billington in
The Guardian
5 March 2003

"McKellen in one of his finest performances . . . Frances De La Tour matches him perfectly . . . "

Full review by Michael Billington

Charles Spencer in
The Telegraph
5 March 2003

"[Director] Sean Mathias's production never puts a foot wrong. . . McKellen's Captain, his voice a gravelly growl, marvellously portrays both the character's ingenious cruelty and his vulnerability. . . The scene in which he arrives is a masterpiece of comic cruelty. . . De La Tour is equally fine, combining cold fury with a raddled sensuality. . . This is a tremendous production of an unarguably great play. Conquer whatever resistance you may have and surrender to the dark, desperate dance of hate and rancid love."

Full review by Charles Spencer

Paul Taylor in
The Independent
5 March 2003

" . . . a towering masterpiece . . . at once the funniest evening on the London stage and the most gutting . . .

Click here for the full review by Paul Taylor

Bill Hagerty in
The Hollywood Reporter
11 March 2003

"McKellen is magnificent as Edgar, controlling the plot's ghastly progress like the despotic ringmaster of a circus of horrors and relishing the laughs Richard Greenberg's new translation has emphasized. But marriages, no matter how abysmal, take two, and Frances de la Tour matches him blow for blow in the unholiest of matrimonies."

Click here for the full review by Bill Hagerty

MAIN PAGE

Opening night photos (click to enlarge):