4 stars for My Perfect Mind, “an exquisite piece of tomfoolery” – UPDATED

Photo by Manuel Harlan

UPDATED: After another pair of 4 star reviews, from Time Out and The Independent, we have added a second extension week for My Perfect Mind! Book now for the show Matt Trueman calls “the best show in London by far.”

4 stars across the board for My Perfect Mind!  Check out some of the rave reviews and audience tweets below.

★ ★ ★ ★
“Like watching a masterclass on King Lear under the influence of LSD… the Young Vic is on a roll’’
The Daily Telegraph – read the full review here

★ ★ ★ ★
“Infected by gleeful madness”
The Guardian – read the full review here

★ ★ ★ ★
“Charming, very funny and occasionally bizarre”
Evening Standard – read the full review here

★ ★ ★ ★
“Petherbridge’s gift for dry self-parody and Paul Hunter’s quirky company Told by an Idiot become wilder and funnier”
The Times

liz hoggard ‏@lizhoggard
My Perfect Mind @youngvictheatre, wonderful, anarchic take on playing King Lear. Edward Petherbridge most elegant man on London stage

Mark Shenton ‏@ShentonStage
Just back from opening of MY PERFECT MIND @YoungVicTheatre, a layered, playful & poignant story of Edward Petherbridge’s stroke & recovery.

Ian DG Nicholson ‏@idgnicholson
@toldbyanidiot93 production of #myperfectmind is brilliant. Touching, theatrical and very,very funny, “if it ain’t broke, break it”.

Caroline Goyder ‏@CarolineGoyder
#myperfectmind is a joy and a delight. Loved its humour, its wild swoops across time and space and its wisdom about life and Lear @youngvic

Jesse Briton ‏@youbigjesse
Do anything to see #MyPerfectMind by @toldbyanidiot93 @youngvictheatre utterly, utterly brilliant. Touching, funny, and life-affirming.

My Perfect Mind has been extended until 27 April.  Tickets are available at youngvic.org.

5 stars for My Perfect Mind

Photo by Manuel Harlan

Told By An Idiot’s My Perfect Mind has opened in Plymouth and now heads to Liverpool before it makes its way to the Young Vic this April.  Read some of the reviews so far below and make sure to book your tickets here.  You can also read a great interview with director Kathryn Hunter in The Guardian.

★★★★★
‘So enjoyable I’m going back next week…’
whatsonstage.com (read the full review here)

‘Funny, poignant, autobiographical and inventive… a quirky, absorbing portrayal of a shattering event in one man’s life, his celebrity and survival.’
The Stage

‘Warm, funny and imaginative…  a lovely peek inside the theatrical mind and life.’
Exeunt

‘Magnificent, rich in content, moving … highly entertaining. Not to be missed’
Western Morning News

5 stars for the “electrifying, pioneering, dazzling” Feast – plus extra performances added!

Just announced! Feast has been extended until 2 March!

Critics and audiences are raving about Feast!  Watch clips from the show and hear audience reactions here:

And check out some of the reviews below…

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
““Electrifying and pioneering, brilliantly directed, dazzling”’
Independent on Sunday

★★★★
“Spectacular… the audience went wild”
The Guardian – read the full review here

★★★★
“One of the most extraordinary events in town… phenomenal music and vibrant dance”
Sunday Express – read the full review here

★★★★
“Triumphant… an exhilarating experience”
Daily Telegraph

★★★★
“A joyous, exuberantly entertaining and irreverent hit”
Mail on Sunday

★★★★
“Wonderfully surprising, funny and moving”
The Independent

★★★★
“Brilliant”
The Times

★★★★
“Fabulously fiesty”
Metro

Feast now runs until 2 Mar.  Tickets are available at youngvic.org.

Blackta – the reviews are in!

‘A striking, original satire.’
Evening Standard

‘David Lan directs a production full of nervy intensity and wry humour, and there are fine performances from the cast…Martello-White writes with wit and energy’
The Telegraph 

‘Martello-White’s promising and original debut…never has to preach to get its message across.’
Time Out 

‘Fizzes with energy.’
WhatsOnStage 

4 stars for the ‘absurdly good’ Three Sisters!

Just announced! Three Sisters has been extended for 3 weeks!

Everybody’s talking about Benedict Andrews’ production of Three Sisters!  Check out some of the reviews below…

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“One of the most thrilling productions of Chekhov I have ever seen’’
What’s On Stage – read the full review here

★ ★ ★ ★
“Absurdly good Chekhov”
Evening Standard – read the full review here

★ ★ ★ ★
“Made me realise all over again why I love Chekhov”
The Guardian – read the full review here

★ ★ ★ ★
“One of the most exciting Chekhovs in years”
Metro

★ ★ ★ ★
“A super cast given licence to shine”
Time Out – read the full review here

★ ★ ★ ★
“Audacious and exhilaratingly acted… superb”
Financial Times – full review here

“Sent shivers down my spine”
Daily Telegraph

“A cracking cast”
The Times

Three Sisters now runs until 3 Nov.  Tickets are available at youngvic.org.

Bingo Audience Reviews

The audience reviews for Bingo are in!  Read your fellow audience members’ thoughts on the production below, and email us your review at reviews@youngvic.org.

The play is very simply, but very engagingly produced. Set design is minimalist, which allows focus on the performance & clever in the final scene when the snow is shown to fall.

The thrust stage is elegantly used to allow the cast to enter & exit through the audience aisles & this brings the performance out into us as we watch.

Individual performances were terrific & we felt a real camaradie between the players, with Patrick Stewart being very generous in his inclusivity, not over egging his headline status at all – but joining with his fellows.

The theatre itself was a joy! What a great ambience you have created – & how wonderful to sit in comfort, have a brilliant view & have ones own space – fantastic!! As was the provision of a jug of tap water at the bar during the interval – very thoughtful, thank you!

—Stephen & Claire

It would be so easy to pick out Patrick Stewart but in truth it was a brilliant cast; he happened to be one of them!  Superbly acted;  fascinating scene design.  Strange play!

 —Marion McCrindle

I saw the original production at the Royal Court. I remember feeling detached and unmoved, disappointed. I am so pleased that I revisited the play; this production had the opposite effect. Patrick Stewart , even conveying the stillness of old age, was animated and movingly anguished. Catherine Cusack made me feel I might understand the family of a great writer through her intelligent portrayal of the domestic Judith. Richard McCabe provided well judged amusement as kindred ,yet contrasting, spirit Jonson.

Those for whom Shakespeare is a life-long fascination will find their knowledge and appreciation enhanced by this production.

I would like to extend my thanks to all involved.

—Tony Couldrey

Brilliant, enthralling, captivating, thought-provoking, unmissable.

—Mary Musker

Watched BINGO by Edward Bond with my friend at the Young Vic last night! Truly brilliant! It revived my thirst for more theatre… “Women with shopping bags stepping over puddles of blood”. A tragic and contradicting retiring Shakespeare portrayed superbly by Sir Patrick Stewart. A must watch!

—Barry Crisp

Although the reviews posted on the website were all 4 star, I did read a couple of reviews that were less enthustiastic, particularly one by a reviewer I’d normally trust who clearly didn’t enjoy Mr. Bond’s play. Well I did enjoy it, and I thought the production was excellent and the acting throughout the cast, not just the mighty Mr. Stewart, was of a very high order indeed.

—Chris Dearmun

The Hamlet cast

Reviews have been pouring in for Hamlet. Here are some snippets of mentions of some of the cast.

Sally Dexter as Gertrude 'shines' (Daily Mail); 'Michael Sheen’s performance will live in the memory... an audacious achievement' (Evening Standard)

Hayley Carmichael as Horatio is 'fascinating' (Evening Standard)

Vinette Robinson as Ophelia is 'truly touching' (The Guardian); Michael Gould as Polonius gives a 'fantastic performance' (BBC Radio 4)

Benedict Wong as Laertes is 'excellent' (Sunday Times)

'The Rosencrantz and Guildenstern relationship is quirkier than ever as Eileen Walsh joins Adeel Akhtar to exude neurosis and humour.' (British Theatre Guide)

James Clyde, Callum Dixon and Pip Donaghy are part of the 'incredibly strong ensemble' (BBC Radio 4)

Day seats are available for all remaining performances of Hamlet. Tickets from £10, bought in-person on the day of the performance from 9.30am. We hope to see you here!

Zesty, zany, magnificent and bizarre. And some photos.

Great reviews are pouring in for Government Inspector! Here are some…

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
‘A zany, zesty new version… magnificent and bizarre.’ 
What’s on Stage

★ ★ ★ ★
‘Thrillingly original… Barratt’s delivery is perfectly judged.’ 
Evening Standard

★ ★ ★ ★
‘Kyle Soller is extraordinary’ 
The Guardian

‘Doon Mackichan is magnificent’ 
Daily Express

And check out the production photos!

Government Inspector, 3 June - 9 July (c) Keith Pattison

Zookeeper on Kafka’s Monkey

Kathy Doherty is a senior keeper at Whipsnade Zoo. Below is a snippet of her review in The Guardian on Kafka’s Monkey from the 2009 run. Click here to read the whole review.

“Kathryn Hunter['s] portrayal of an animal is excellent: she’s incredibly energetic and all the movement is spot on, right down to the way she uses her thumbs to manipulate objects.”

“I see a lot of people who come to the zoo just to laugh at the monkeys, at their pink bums and so on. They look on apes as second-class humans. It’s arrogance, and that’s what I took from the show. It’s not so long ago that zoos were still holding chimp “tea parties”, dressing apes up in human clothes. “

“Not surprisingly, Red Peter ends up hating humanity. I wouldn’t say that was true of our chimps: they get on well with humans… If the chimps don’t like you, they’ll refuse to move, or they’ll throw things. You have to establish a working relationship.”

Kafka’s Monkey is back at the Young Vic from 19 May – 11 June… previews are sold out, so buy your tickets soon!