what the papers say
'In one of the year's finest pieces of new writing, Jack Thorne paints a compassionate, gripping portrait of a fledgling relationship that is asked to bear more than many well-established marriages. A superlative evening.'
Evening Standard
'The leads, however, are entirely convincing, mainly because Thorne has been spoilt in the casting. Samuel Barnett's Peter single-handedly turns what is essentially a slight, tentative, if sensitive, dramatic essay into memorable theatre.
Fresh from his National Theatre stint as Posner, the most poignant of Alan Bennett's history boys, Barnett invites a wealth of compassion for this far less showy part. He conveys quite brilliantly the confusions of a young man who still gets embarrassed by an erection while trying to absorb the brutality of Rachel's tale. The boy learns, before his time, that such deep woes are un-navigable, insoluble.
Newcomer Morven Christie also does bravely well as Rachel, crying on cue, yet refusing easy sympathy. She hasn't Barnett's sophistication, but her portrayal is earnest and moving. The pair's final, faltering attempts at intimacy offer a beautifully acted close to what is, despite its flaws, a touching evening.'
The Telegraph
'Thorne explores Rachel's disorder with unblinking clarity.
Thorne also presents the responses of those who surround Rachel with psychological acuity.
Mike Bradwell's production is beautifully acted, particularly by Samuel Barnett as Peter and Morven Christie as Rachel. But it's a brave piece of writing that, with its damaged and angry heroine, unflinchingly shows us not a vision of saintly suffering, but a far more engagingly human struggle for survival.'
The Times