what the papers say
'Entertaining, thought-provoking and touching.'
'Sharp, funny, wise and humane, Alexi Kaye Campbell is a writer to cherish.'
FOUR STARS
Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph (Read full review)
'A well written, humorous and deeply felt drama...directed with great clarity and emotional depth by Josie Rourke'
Aleks Sierz, The Stage (Read full review)
'Campbell certainly understands the crackling tension of family get-togethers, and is beautifully served both by Josie Rourke's production and a quality cast.'
Michael Billington, The Guardian (Read full review)
'The play works up to some tremendous and moving showdowns about parenthood and principles in Josie Rourke's edgy, vividly acted production.'
FOUR STARS
Sarah Hemming, Financial Times (Read full review)
'Like Chekhov, Campbell refuses to accept the theatrical tyranny of neatness. Hearts are shockingly poured out, but the airing of long-suppressed feelings doesn't lead to obvious conclusions.'
'Campbell, previously an actor, creates roles with mouth-watering opportunities, seized here by an ideal cast, exactingly directed by Josie Rourke.'
David Benedict, Variety (Read full review)
'The freshness of the dialogue, the perfectly judged rhythm, the well-drawn characters, and the unravelling of the central conceit suggest that Campbell may just be a star in the making.'
Lucy Popescu, Theatre World Review
'Dionisotti generates a quiet intensity and power.'
Benedict Nightingale, The Times (Read full review)
'Alexi Kaye Campbell makes political drama feel intensely personal. Josie Rourke's sensitive production presents a misleadingly solid country kitchen - the family's foundations are perilously fragile.'
FOUR STARS
David Jays, The Sunday Times (Read full review)
Campbell won a Critics' Circle Award for his first play, The Pride, and Apologia, his second, doesn't disappoint, staged by Josie Rourke with fine, closely observed acting. This is a sharp, satirical and poignant drama.
Kate Bassett, Independent on Sunday (Read full review)
At the Bush, Alexi Kaye Campbell's Apologia is a searching and powerful family drama, as two adult sons confront their acerbic, neglectful mother over their upbringing to reveal an intricate web of damaged relationships. Josie Rourke's production is sublimely acted by a company that includes Paola Dionisotti as the bitter matriarch, Philip Voss as her funny gay best friend, and Tom Beard and John Light as her sons.
Mark Shenton, The Sunday Express (Read full review)
'Raw and very funny...confirms [Alexi Kaye Campbell's] standing as a fresh and sensitive voice.'
'Paola Dionisotti is perfect as this hybrid of simpering scholarly harridan and repressed materfamilias.'
FOUR STARS
Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard (Read full review)