Acting legend Clive Owen has returned to the West End after 19 years as he stars as shamed vicar in Tennessee William's lesser-known play, The Night of the Iguana. But what did the critics think of this rarely revived classic?
The Evening Standard praised Owen, and his equally as famous co-star, Lia Williams saying "Lia Williams triumphs alongside Clive Owen in... fascinating Tennessee William's revival". They finished with "This is only the second major London staging...since 1992 but its core message - that kindness and dignity matter, even to lost souls - feels pretty refreshing right now."
The Arts Desk was also full of praise for this James Macdonald helmed revival saying "James Macdonald's superb revival, which boasts a majestic creeper-strewn mountain-top set by Rae Smith".
Time Out said, "Williams seethingly weird human stew is hair-raising stuff, compassionate, cruel, macabre and intense, pepped up by shot after shot of tar-black humour". They continued with "It has a terrifically entertaining cast, led from the front by a gonzo Owen, funny and frazzled... And Smith's set is a thing of wonder."
What is The Night of the Iguana about?
The drama follows a spinster, a widow and clergyman as they are forced to interact with one another after finding themselves stranded on a neglected hotel veranda, high above a Mexican rain-forest. The recipe of personalities results in an epic battle which is only heightened by the arrival of a tropical rainstorm.
The Night of the Iguana is now play playing at the Noel Coward Theatre through to 28 September.