Reviews

Pains of Youth

Ferdinand Bruckner's play Pains of Youth, here adapted by Martin Crimp, gets a rare revival in the Cottesloe Theatre from NT Associate Director Katie Mitchell. This Entry Pass reviewers Richard O'Brien, Danny Shaw, Ruth Boulter and Anna Cavaliero give their reviews below:

 

Mother Courage and her Children

Mother Courage and her Children is one of Brecht's greatest plays and is currently being staged in the Olivier Theatre in a new version by Tony Kushner, with Fiona shaw in the title role. The production also features live music from the spectacular Duke Special and his band. Rebecca Burnett Jonied the critics at press night and gives her review below:

Our Class

Our Class is a powerful and moving account of ten one-time Polish classmates whose lives are shaped and torn apart by the terrible events of the 20th Century, through Nazi and Soviet invasion. Beautifull staged in the Cottesloe Theatre, the press night was on 24 September, when Entry Pass reviewers Lis Meyers anad Sam Plumb joined the critics. Read her review below:

The Pitmen Painters

The Pitmen Painters, by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) looks at the lives of a group of miners in the noth-eastern town of Ashington whose lives are changed by taking part in an art appreciation class, becoming a renown group of artists themselves. Entry Pass reviews Daniel Shaw and Kohinoor Sahota saw the show on press night and give their reviews below:

 

The Observer

The Observer is a new play by Matt Charman and directed by forner NT Artistic Director Richard Eyre. The play looks at the ever-pertinent issue of the integrity of elections in an unnamed African nation and asks the question, if you could do something to influence the outcome, should you? Entry Pass review Kohinoor Sahota,  Vernon Nxumalo and Tutku Barbaros give their review of the production below.

The Black Album

Adapted from his book of the same name, Hanif Kureshi's The Black Album looks at the social, political and cultural landscape of the UK in 1989, a year of major political upheaval locally and globally. Our Entry Pass reviewer Rebecca Burnett and Sam Plumb saw the show on press night and gives her review below:

Phedre

Phedre is Jean Racine's classic interpretation of the Greek tragedy of the eponymous Queen's illicit love for her step-son, Hippolytus, and the inevitable devastating consequences. This version by Ted Hughes is a powerful re-working of the original French text and this production sees Helen Mirren return to the National Theatre, alongside a cast which also features one time History Boy, Dominic Cooper. See what out Entry Pass reviews Rebecca Burnett, Lis Meyers and Emma Powell thought about this production below:

New Connections

New Connections, supported by Bank of America, is the National Theatre's annual celebration of new plays for young people and this year featured plays written by writers such as Anthony Horowitz, David Mamet, William Boyd and Lisa McGee. Young theatre groups from around the country were able to take part in this nationwide festival and a selection were invited to perform on the stages of the National Theatre. Our Entry Pass reviewers give their opinions below:

All's Well That Ends Well

The National Theatre's first ever production of All's Well That Ends Well opened on 28 May. The show is directed by Marianne Elliott with designs by Rae Smith, the creative team behind the smash-hit War Horse. Entry Pass reviewers Natalie Barker, Rory Hill, Vernon Nxumalo and Katie Hobson went along to check it out. Read their reviews below:

Time and the Conways

Time and the Conways by JB Priestley opened in the Lyttelton Theatre on 5 May and we sent Entry Pass reviewers Lis Meyers, Rebecca Burnett and Jon Rowe to check it out. Read their reviews below

Death and the King's Horseman

Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka is a new production in the Olivier from director Rufus Norris. Entry Pass reviewers BEN WOOLDRIDGE, CONRAD LANDIN and SEAN AYDON joined the profiessional critics at the press night and below are their reviews.

Dido, Queen of Carthage

 Christopher Marlowe was a contemporary of Shakespeare and his first play, Dido, Queen of Carthage is now being revived in the Cottesloe Theatre. This story of Gods such as Venus, Juno and Jupiter and heroic Aenaes meeting Queen Dido had it's press night on 24 March and Entry Pass critics Sita Thomas and Louise Laker went along to check it out - read their reviews below:

Burnt by the Sun

Burnt by the Sun is a play of jealousy, retribution and revenge, set at a time when the personal was the political, with a cast including Rory Kinnear (The Revenger's Tragedy). Entry Pass reviewers Alex Hayden and Gaby Schwarz joined the professional critics on press night - see what they thought below:

War Horse

War Horse is one of the most successful shows the National Theatre has staged in recent years and returned to the Olivier in 2008 after a sell out run in 2007. The show features spectacular life-sized puppets and a moving story of WWI seen through the eyes of one boy and his horse. Francesca Donnelly came to review this hugely popular show.
(War Horse is now SOLD OUT)

England People Very Nice

England People Very Nice has been described by critics as 'a very funny but outrageous comedy... makes you laugh then wonder whether you should have.' (Financial Times). Our intrepid Entry Pass reviewers Constance Greenfield, Sagar Gupta and Fabienne Cheung were there on press night and here give their opinions below on the show that everyone is talking about...

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Mrs Affleck

Based on Ibsen's Little Eyolf, Samuel Adamson's new play Mrs Affleck is a tragic and passionate tale of obsessive love set on the 1950s south coast of England. Entry Pass member Hannah Waxman came to the show's press night on Tuesday 27th January and gives her opinions below:

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn's play for actors and orchestra is a bold and breathtaking new production which sees a full orchestra take to the Olivier Stage. Entry Pass members Sam Plumb, Lizzie Laycock and Lucy Higgie joined the professional critics on Friday 16 January and, below, gives his take on this rarely staged show.

August: Osage County reviews

August: Osage County began in Chicago where Steppenwolf theatre company created the show. It then moved to Broadway where it was a huge success and now London theatre-goers can make up their own minds as is it playing in the Lyttelton theatre. Entry Pass reviewers Oliver Cohen and Fabienne Cheung went to the press night to see for themselves what the fuss was about.

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Gethsemane reviews

David Hare's new play about political fundraising has certainly been making headlines. Entry Pass reviewers Gabrielle Schwarz and Benjamin Potter went to check it out.

Entry Pass reviews on To Be Straight With You

DV8 Physical Theatre arrived to the National as part of their global tour and Entry Pass reviewers joined the professional critics to review their latest work, ‘To Be Straight With You’. Read what they had to say…

in-i entry pass review

in-i a unique collaboration between Juilette Binoche and Akram Khan..what was entry pass critics verdict?

The Walworth Farce Entry Pass review

 Direct from a run in New York Enda Walsh's remarkable play The Walworth Farce is reviewed by Entry Pass critics...

The Threepenny Ring Cycle

It's not often you get to watch NT shows in a tent by the river so don't miss this opportunity to see this interpretation of Wagner's epic opera The Ring before it ends on Saturday. Read what this one Entry Pass reviewer though of this show....:

Macbeth: Who is that Bloodied Man?

There are strange goings on in Square2 - the NT's newly adapted performance site.... hear what our Entry Pass critics made of this thrilling Polish production....

Her Naked Skin reviewed

Her Naked Skin is the first play by a female writer ever to be staged in the Olivier. It is also a shocking and moving story of the suffragette movement and a love story between to of it's supporters. Entry Pass member Sita Thomas came to review the show and you can read her opinion below:

Entry Pass reviews for ...some trace of her

On Wednesady 30 July Irmante Sungailaite and Sita Thomas joined the professional theatre critics in our Cottesloe Theatre to cast their knowing eye over ...some trace of her, a new show by controversial director Katie Mitchell.

You can read what they thought of this multi-media productiob below.......

New reviews for Afterlife

On Tuesday 10 June Entry Pass members Fabienne Cheung and Davina Moss joined the professional critics to review Michael Frayn's new play Afterlife. Read on to see what they thought of the show...

Read Entry Pass opinion on Harper Regan

On Monday 9 June Entry Pass member Rosailind Thompson came to review Simon Stephen's new play, Harper Regan starring Lesley Sharp in the title role. Read Rosalind's review below:

Blood, sex, gore... new reviews for The Revenger's Tragedy

As critics and audiences digest the blood, sex and gore fest that is The Revenger's Tragedy, our intrepid Entry Pass reviewers give their opinions on this blisteringly contemporary interpretation of Thomas Middleton's restoratino classic... read on for their reviews...

New Entry Pass reviews for Pitmen Painters

On Wednesdday 21 May, Lee Hall's new play The Pitmen Painter's had its Press Night and  night Entry Pass members Emma Powell, Jade Hunter and Zoe Thomas-Webb joined the professionals to give their reactions to the play. Read on to see what they thought of this play:

Read the latest Entry Pass reviews for The Year of Magical Thinking

Currently playing in the Lyttelton Theatre, The Year of Magical Thinking is a heartbreaking account of one woman's life in the aftermath of her husband's sudden death. Acting legend Vanessa Redgrave plays Joan Didion, the famous american author who wrote the original novel based on her own life experiences.

Press night for this show took palce on Wednesday 30 April and we were joined by Entry Pass members Joseph Sims, Josh Pascall and Sita Thomas to reveiew the show. Check out what they thought of the show...

 

Read the first Entry Pass Reviews of Fram

A big thank you to our very first Entry Pass reviewers, Jade Hunter, Robert Walport and Davina Moss, who came to the Press Night of Fram on Thursday 17 April. Jade, Robert and Davina joined the professional theatre critics on the evening to give their response to the play and you can read their reviews below. As you can see, this play is certainly provoking a wide range of responses.

 

Would you like to review for Entry Pass?

Entry Pass is looking for three reviewers to cover each of the National's new shows. Reviewers will be allocated seats on the same night as the professional reviewers, and their reviews will be posted on the Entry Pass website where other users will be able to read and comment on them. Press Night performances usually start at 7pm.

General notes on reviewing

If you would like to review shows, you will need to be able to guarantee that you can be at the National by 6.30pm on the stated press night for each show. Reviews should be between 200 and 400 words, and should be submitted no more than 48 hours after the press night performance.