My Brilliant Friend, National Theatre - ★★★★ - Until February 22, 2020


Bringing Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels to the stage even in a two-part play is an enormous challenge. The sweep of events, the intricacy of the plot and the multitude of characters are a lot to take on. The National Theatre does so with its characteristically high standards of production. The story of two women who are lifelong friends and whose lives play out against the backdrop of post WW II Italy is a fascinating saga. Their growth and struggles mirror the forces at work in a society dealing with poverty, crime, sexism and social inequality. The novels reflect the battles of women trying to lead independent lives in a society where their oppression is not just a consequence of retrograde social attitudes, but an active political and social policy. How to hold on to a sense of self in the face of social pressures and personal desires becomes the central issue in the very different paths the friends, Lila and Lenú, choose. This is a complex and fascinating piece but even spread over two parts, it sometimes feels like the demands of the labyrinthine plot and powerful themes subsume the development of character. Niamh Cusack as Lenù and Catherine McCormack as Lila are commanding presences in this epic tale and they are well supported by the rest of the cast, often playing several roles. They do an excellent job at trying to keep their characters distinct for an audience who might feel somewhat overwhelmed by it all. Melly Still's direction brilliantly manages to weave the threads together and Soutra Gilmour's set is wonderfully versatile as scenes quickly change. Elena Ferrante's novels offer a narrative of operatic proportions and this production does an amazing job of bringing it to life.

 Reviewed by J.C.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

 Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until February 22, 2020
Various show times available. See website below.
National Theatre
Nearest tube: Waterloo
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/my-brilliant-friend
Map & Location: Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX, UK

Most Popular

Arcadia ★★★★★ The Old Vic | Jan 24 - Mar 21, 2026

Image
This splendid revival of Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece is definitely one of this year’s must-see productions. Intellectually demanding yet fizzing with wit, the play is brought vividly to life by a uniformly outstanding ensemble. Seamus Dillane is superb as the rakish tutor Septimus Hodge, delivering a performance of effortless charm and sly intelligence, while Matthew Steer is irresistibly funny as the mock poet/scientist and hapless cuckold Ezra Chater. Isis Hainsworth is luminous as the prodigy Thomasina, blending youthful grace with startling intellectual authority, and Fiona Button is deliciously bold as her mother, the gloriously predatory Lady Croom. Set in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Arcadia explores how we confront death and search for meaning in our lives. Its title suggests Poussin's pastoral painting with the tombstone in its foreground, et in Arcadia ego . Faced with this existential problem, the play suggests two possible routes to understanding: scienc...
Full Details »

Samurai ★★★★★ The British Museum | Feb 3 - May 4, 2026

Image
“Samurai.” The word conjures images of fierce Japanese warriors in elaborate helmets with swords drawn, but this superb presentation reveals that there is far more to know about this class that came to dominate Japan’s political life and whose legacy still lingers in many aspects of contemporary culture. Structured in three sections, Rise of the Samurai AD 800 to 1600, The Long Peace 1600 to the 1850s and After the Samurai 1876 to the present , the exhibition demonstrates the importance of the samurai, both men and women, not only in warfare but also in the governance and cultural development of Japan. Bringing together more than two hundred and eighty objects from twenty nine lenders, the show offers a rich array of flamboyant helmets and intricate armour, alongside depictions of combat in scrolls by masters such as Hiroshige. There are also revealing glimpses behind the public image the samurai sought to project. Displays of smoking accoutrements, a popular pastime for both male and ...
Full Details »

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

American Psycho ★★★★★ Almeida Theatre | Jan 22 - Mar 14, 2026

Image
The novel and film American Psycho were a satire on the superficiality and materialism of young financial professionals in New York City in the 1980s. The musical adaptation premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2013 under its then new artistic director, Rupert Goold, and it now returns as his final production before leaving the post. With a second Trump term underway, this story of over-polished surfaces concealing a psychotic killer utterly devoid of values takes on a renewed and deeply ironic resonance. It is easy to read the central character, Patrick Bateman, as representative of America itself. References to Trump and other cultural icons within the 1980s setting enrich the parody and prompt the audience's knowing laughter which is sharpened by hindsight. The values of the Reagan era can be seen as inevitably leading to the current state of American politics. The production is beautifully choreographed by Lynne Page and superbly acted throughout. Arty Froushan is suitably slim...
Full Details »

Man and Boy ★★★★ National Theatre | Jan 30 - Mar 14, 2026

Image
Terence Rattigan worked on his play Man and Boy from 1954 until its first production in 1963. It was intended as a statement of his continued relevance in a British theatre transformed by the arrival of figures such as John Osborne in the late 1950s. Set in the 1930s in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash, the play is a pointed critique of capitalism at its most ruthless. At its centre is Gregor Antonescu, a figure of unrelenting ambition and amoral callousness. Even Patrick Bateman from American Psycho appears to be a rather low-level hustler by comparison. In this current version of Rattigan’s drama, Antonescu is even willing to pimp out his own son. His venal materialism is painted in broad strokes, and Ben Daniels plays the character with an over-the-top energy and swagger, cajoling and conning anyone who stands between him and his goals. His humiliation of the accountant who believes he has uncovered Antonescu's fraud is wonderfully arch, and Leo Wan as David Beeston reca...
Full Details »

Iolanthe ★★★★★ Wilton's Music Hall | Feb 17 - 28, 2026

Image
Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe , or The Peer and the Peri premiered in 1882 to warm acclaim from critics and the public alike. In 2020 Charles Court Opera unveiled its imaginative reworking of the classic, but the Covid pandemic curtailed its run after only four preview performances. Now returning to London and accompanied by the Charles Court Opera Chamber Orchestra, this judiciously refreshed production deserves nothing less than the wholehearted enthusiasm that greeted the original. The opera’s satire of the House of Lords and the British legal system remains deliciously pointed. When the assembled peers discover that there exists a social order superior to their own, both more capricious and more powerful than they could ever hope to be, their pomposity is punctured with exquisite precision. Within the framework of a tender love story between Strephon, half mortal and half fairy, and his beloved Phyllis, Gilbert deftly and lightheartedly exposes the absurdities of those who presu...
Full Details »

Shadowlands ★★★★★ Aldwych Theatre | Feb 5 - May 9, 2026

Image
Shadowlands opens with the author C. S. Lewis, best known for The Chronicles of Narnia , wrestling with the question that underpins much of his work: why would an omnipotent, all-loving Christian God permit suffering and evil in the world? The play recounts the true story of how the celebrated children’s writer, Christian apologist and medieval scholar encountered both the rapture of love and the devastation of loss when, in middle age, he met the brilliant young American divorcee, Joy Davidman. For Lewis, still marked by the early death of his mother and constrained by the Church’s strictures against divorce, the relationship was at once emotionally perilous and theologically troubling. Yet what began as a meeting of minds deepened into a profound and transformative love, compelling him to confront fears he had long kept at bay. When Joy falls ill and later dies, his faith is tested in ways that render abstract arguments painfully immediate. The struggle to reconcile divine love with...
Full Details »

ABBA Voyage ★★★★★ ABBA Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Extended Run

Image
When great music from the past meets mind boggling technology from the future, the result is ABBA Voyage . This is a concert like no other. In a purpose built arena designed specifically for the show, massive high resolution LED screens, advanced lighting, and surround sound are used to create a fully immersive ABBA concert experience. Although the group’s last appearance in London was at Wembley Arena in 1979, they return technologically in this extraordinary production. These are not holograms or AI generated performances. This is a meticulously animated concert based on real performances by the band themselves. To achieve this effect, the group came together and re-performed their music using motion capture technology. They partnered with top visual effects experts to digitally recreate their younger selves. While the show includes a live band and backup singers, the Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid seen on stage appear every bit as real as their original counterparts. One quick...
Full Details »

Cash on Delivery ★★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Feb 5 - Apr 4, 2026

Image
If the weather is bleak and sodden, The Mill at Sonning offers the perfect antidote to the winter doldrums: a generous meal, a nice glass of wine and a riotously absurd comedy by Michael Cooney. In Cash on Delivery , Eric Swan has been fraudulently claiming benefits to which he is not entitled. When he finally resolves to put matters right, events spiral spectacularly out of control in ways he could never have foreseen. The mechanics of farce are familiar to seasoned theatregoers, yet the satisfaction of watching someone else's unravelling remains undimmed. A host of Sonning favourites return to the stage in this production. Steven Pinder is superb as the slippery schemer ensnared in his own labyrinth of lies, while James Bradshaw shines as the endearingly flustered lodger and Swan’s unwilling accomplice in the ever-expanding tangle of deceit. Natasha Gray brings warmth and bite to Eric’s exasperated, long-suffering wife, and Harry Gostelow is absolutely spot on as the hopelessly ...
Full Details »

'Sweet Mambo' ★★★ Sadler's Wells Theatre | February 11 - 21, 2026

Image
‘Sweet Mambo’ is the penultimate piece choreographed by Pina Bausch before her death in 2009. It is now receiving its premiere at Sadler’s Wells, with seven of the original nine dancers still in the cast. Their continued presence is a remarkable tribute both to their stamina and to the lasting appeal of Bausch’s choreography. Sadler’s Wells has now staged twenty-one of her twenty-two works. Mounting the production at this venue posed particular technical difficulties, notably the recreation of the wind-blown curtain design by Peter Pabst. For the most part, the result justifies the wait. The vast swathes of fabric dominate the stage, generating striking visual effects that at times overshadow the movement which frequently seems more like performance art than dance theatre. In 'Sweet Mambo', Bausch draws on the meta tropes prevalent at the time in which the work was made. Performers address the audience directly and dissolve the fourth wall by stepping into the auditorium. Once ...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings