The explosive drama, now running at London's Noel Coward Theatre until 21 September 2024, examines race, gender, and sexuality in the 21st century.
Authored by Jeremy O. Harris (known for The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window and Euphoria) and directed by Robert O'Hara (known for The Continuum), the production stars Kit Harington (from Game of Thrones and True West) as Jim, Olivia Washington (from I'm a Virgo and Breaking) as Kaneisha, Fisayo Akinade (from The Crucible and Heartstopper) as Gary, and Aaron Heffernan (from Brassic and Atlanta) as Phillip.
So, what did the critics think?
Critic Reviews of Slave Play
"Kit Harington and Olivia Washington star in a charged, often comical drama about the legacy of historical racial violence in three couples' sexual dynamics" - The Guardian
"But Robert O'Hara's production, featuring a fine British-American ensemble that includes Kit Harington and Olivia Washington, is challenging in the best way. It uses sex and therapy as metaphors for society's wider inability to talk honestly about race and touches on the desensitisation of modern life. Though its focus and sphere of reference are wholly American, it feels like a vital presence in the West End." - The Evening Standard
"Jeremy O Harris's Broadway smash is ebulliently messy, fiendishly clever, frequently maddening and gloriously different" - TimeOut
""Thank you for listening," says one character to her partner at the (shocking) end of Jeremy O Harris's Slave Play at the Nol Coward Theatre in London. She could also be talking to the audience as they unstrap themselves from the rollercoaster of emotions that this blistering, painful and provocative drama involves." - The Financial Times
"Therapy sessions, dildos, Rihanna, and an exposing performance from Kit Harington... Slave Play' has finally arrived loudly in London, and it's a sharp, intelligent, multi-layered satire" - The Independent
"Dramatist Jeremy O Harris is a provocateur with a stinging sense of humour, a laser-like mind and deeply serious intent. This play, which has been making waves since its 2018 premiere in New York, is calculated to cause discomfort, and if it also entertains, then that only sharpens its edge." - The Stage
"Not everything is black and white in Robert O'Hara's production of the controversial Jeremy O Harris play" - Daily Express