Onassis Reviews

Julie from Derby England

ONASSIS WHAT A FABULOUS NIGHT OUT

I saw this production on its closing night in Derby and it was truly sensational. Being born in 1964 my memories of Onassis are pretty vague but it is a name that everyone knows a little about. Well go and see the production and you will come away feeling you know a lot more about the man and his wayward lifestyle. I cannot praise the simple staging and the enigmatic acting enough it is just a fabulous evening.

Juliet from UK

I WAS OVERWHELMED

Disagreeing with the first 2 stars' review, I watched the show tonight and was completely overwhelmed by this great drama. I am 33 years old and I was so touched especially at the end. It caught the soul, I mean, the drama itself. Thanks for all members who worked on it and especially the 3 fantastic main charactors and the director. The play is one of the best dramas I have seen in west end. Though I knew little about Greek culture but still the whole story was great selected told. Again I must say, all these 3 artists are fantastic, and the director. Thank you for giving me a deep enjoyable night with tears----I was full of tears in the final minute, when Callas' words were shockingly moved me at the end----the writer is great too. It will be a winer.

Peter from London

I WAS MOVED AND THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINED! EXCEPTIONAL!

This is an extraordinary story beautifully and imaginatively told. Robert Lindsay is really impresssive as Aristotle Onassis and the rest of the cast are intelligently and sensitively selected by the Director. Greek music and songs, interspersed with convincing dialogue, bring out the passion and the spirit of a quintessentially Greek but deeply complex man who sought to exhaust and did exhaust the limits of his time. The show succeeds in capturing the main elements which shaped Onassis's dramatic and ultimately tragic life. An extraordinary account of the life and times of a legend based on an incisive and moving script skillfully interpreted! Highly recommended.

Jehona from London

FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE

Onassis was one of the most overwhelming play I have ever seen. It consists high level of emotions including humour, amusement, and sadness. Greek music has touched me as it took me back in my happy childhood, in time when I visited the land with my family. The play was very inspiring and I am glad to have had an opportunity to learn something I haven't known before. I would recommend highly the play to be seen.

Wendy from Anytown, AT 55555

FASCINATING AND PROVOKING

After reading some patchy reviews about this play, I was preparing myself to be disappointed; however, I found it thought provoking and utterly absorbing throughout - is there any difference between our heroes (i.e. JFK) and our villains (Onassis)? I didn't know much about Onassis and was shocked to hear about his possible connection with Robert Kennedy's assasination. When I saw the play (6th October 2010, evening) I found Lindsay's accent to be authentic, and loved the Greek music and dancing which threaded the action together. Would definitely recommend!

Juliet2 from London

AN EVENING THAT LEFT ME ON A HIGH

It would seem that this is a play that you either love or hate. I absolutely loved it. The acting was impressive throughout and more than held the attention. I especially enjoyed the flirtatious scenes between Onassis and Jackie Kennedy, and the exchanges between father and son - two people as different as chalk from cheese. There is so much in this play - shocking historical revelations, strong emotions, echoes of Greek tragedy, harmonious music and a taste of the warmth of a sunny beach and deep blue waters. I left the theatre on a natural high, buoyed up with the memories of a first-class evening of theatre and pondering on Jackie Kennedy's reflection that the new generation of politicians are all disappointingly "vanilla" - so much less colourful and interesting than those she knew so well...

David & Shelley from Beaconsfield

JUST SO GOOD

Very very enjoyable. Could not fault a thing. All the actors do a great job, and Robert Lindsay shows us his range once again. The set was simple yet so effective, with a nice touch front of stage that I won't spoil for you - go and see it!!

Anonymous from uk

COMPELLING DRAMA, LACED WITH INTRIGUE AND PATHOS.

Whether you sign up to the conspiracy theories or not, the world of the super rich and powerful is intimately linked with controversy and suspicion. This production engages the audience and poses the much asked questions about the interaction between the iconic figures of the time. The performance is riveting, compelling and above all enjoyable. It's not meant to be a lesson in history, it is a play, a tragedy ! Those who cannot see the play for what it is, have (pardon the pun) missed the plot. Lose yourself in a world of intrigue and glamour, a world where corruption, greed and avarice have not displaced the emotions of love and bereavement. Onassis is a must see production!

Dr.Raymond Rowe from Woodford Green, Essex, UK

MY MUM LOVED IT! SO DID I - DR.ROWE

At a recent meeting of the family, my elderly mother, aged 88 years, stated that she wanted to see Robert Lindsay performing in 'Onassis' for her Christmas present. Mum is a great fan of Robert. I accompanied her today, 15th Dec, for the 2.30 show. Stall seats, view, accommodation and bar were very good. As for her present 'It was excellent!!!' You made her day; thank you. As for me, well, I wasn't too certain whether I'd like it or not. However, it was very witty with an excellent performances all round - well done!

Cecilia from Mexico

CECILIA - ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDABLE!

I watched the show tonight and I just loved it. I loved the role of Robert Lindsay, he was just perfect as Aristotle and as well the rest of the cast were fantastic. I found very touching the scenes after his son’s death. I just loved the whole show!

Anonymous from Anytown, AT 55555

GREAT PLAY, PITY ROBERT LINDSAY DIDN'T TURN UP

Great play, we drove 200 miles in the snow to see Robert Lindsay in this play, but apparently he couldn't make it due to bad weather......oh by the way the theatre was half empty.....

Beth from London

THE ALLURE OF ROBERT LINDSAY AS ONASSIS

What Onassis does very well is warn of the dangers of the allure of power and money. Martin Sherman’s play allows us the frivolous fun of playing voyeur to Onassis’s famous affairs with Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy. But then his circling shark to draw us into a very dark world indeed. It’s intriguing and engaging. Robert Lindsay charms as Onassis. He balances a complex character by using humour and charisma to sweeten an undertone of violence. He meticulously positions his Aristotle as a ‘classic’ – somewhere on the longitude of ‘classic clown’ and the latitude of ‘classic wife beater’. A stunningly simple stage design features a surround of glittering water with a back-projection of crashing waves. Lindsay uses the pool of water on stage like Pontius Pilate, cleansing himself of his sins; and we all know what happens to sailors who follow the Siren’s song! Highly recommended!

Roberta from England

ROBERTA. ROBERT LINDSEY WAS EXCELLENT..HOWEVER

Robert Lindsey was excellent..He carried the show However we had stall seats Row M and found it difficult to hear.all the actors need to speak abit louder .also think his support was rather weak.. apart from the 2 Greek ladies and the Narrator who were also clear and enthusiastic..Sad to see so many empty seats..guess this must be because of current economic climate. Robert Lindsey Thank you for an excellent performance....

Matt McAndrew from London

A MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT

The fundamental problem with Onassis when watching it is, the man whom the show is based around just doesn't seem interesting enough to have a show based on his life appearing in a West End theatre. I am 22 years old, so I knew little about Aristotle Onassis before taking my seat in the dress circle at the Novello Theatre. However, after seeing the show, I felt completely underwhelmed, and couldn't help but feel the producers, writers and director had really missed the point somewhere along the line. When I got home, I opened Wikipedia and started reading up on the man and, sure enough, he seems to have led an extremely interesting life. So what happened here? I'm by no means a stolwart of theatre, but I've seen enough to know what's great and what's average. It lacked emotion. It tried to be funny when humour wasn't appropriate, and the acting just wasn't convincing. Dodgy Greek accents and a disappointing script means this is probably one to avoid, even for big Robert Lindsay fans.

Alex M from UK

PASSES THE TIME

This is one for Robert Lindsay fans and theatre- goers of a certain age who fancy a little trip back down memory lane. For everyone else, it's a pretty unabsorbing re-telling which failed to draw me in. I came ready to learn but left caring very little about the man at the centre of it all. Perhaps there is a good story to be told beneath all this, but it didn't emerge. We didn't even get a proper dance, despite Lindsay's slow-mo steps. Maybe you had to live during this era to get it. As for me, I almost preferred My Family, which is not much of a recommendation.

Anonymous from Anytown, AT 55555

WILL

I agree with the 2 'starrers'; in fact I probably enjoyed reading the comments about it more than the play itself. I am also only in my early twentys and was keen to learn about the man, but still know very little. The neglect of the man's story could have been excused if the drama and romance had have been more capturing. The guitars were good though!

Maria from london

VERY POOR

Given the real life character it seems almost impossible to create such a boring play but this is exactly what it was......very boring! In fact I heard snoring sounds during the performance.

Ken Elvy from London UK

AND THE POINT WAS???

I lived through the Kennedy era and was keen to see how Onassis would be portrayed. It isn't Robert Lindsay's fault that he was an unsympathetic character: but at the end of the play his degeneration left me completely unmoved. As a production, dramatic pace was lost because of the inconsistent range of - at times iffy - accents; excessive use of the presumably expensive 'water feature'; lengthy monologues to provide superfluous background; and lack of chemistry between Onassis and any of the other lead characters: including even his own son. On the plus side, Lindsay is charismatic and Onassis must have had something other than just money to compensate for his physical shortcomings. His performance was always watchable and his accent only rarely wandered into Thames Estuary territory. I suppose my frustration was that I sensed Lindsay was dying to let rip but was constrained by dialogue that made Onassis seem less psychopathic than he probably was. All a bit of a waste.

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