The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

The Painkiller at the Garrick Theatre

The Painkiller at the Garrick Theatre | Theatre review
17 March 2016
Laura Ewing
Avatar
Laura Ewing
17 March 2016

Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon have reunited with director Sean Foley to revive their side-splitting production of The Painkiller at the Garrick Theatre. The play is the fourth in Branagh Theatre Company’s latest season of Plays at the Garrick and is a sharp and witty adaptation of Francis Veberʼs classic French farce.

The stars of the show, Branagh and Brydon, deliver an hour and a half of seamless comedy and slapstick routines that have the audience crying with laughter. Alongside actors Claudie Blakley, Marcus Fraser, Mark Hadfield and Alex Macqueen, the stellar cast tell the story of two contrasting male characters who find themselves in adjoining hotel rooms.

Brydon plays a failed photographer driven to the point of suicide, having been abandoned by his bored wife. Branagh, on the other hand, plays a suave and mysterious assassin who is unaware of the riotous and unlikely friendship about to be thrust upon him. The antics that follow are uproariously funny; with a concoction of lovers’ rivalry, an interrupting concierge and some serious doses of horse tranquiliser, theatregoers will be amazed by the physical comedy that takes place. If you have ever wanted to see a frantically dancing Kenneth Branagh and almost-naked Rob Brydon in heightened distress, then look no further!

The play runs for an enjoyable 90 minutes, with no interval. Audiences may balk at the prospect of no bar time, but the actors provide such energetic and all-consuming comedy that stopping them in their stride would be detrimental to the performance. The impeccable timing and liveliness that the cast and director have injected into this marvellous adaptation will keep viewers hooked until the very last minute.

It is safe to say that Branagh’s Plays at the Garrick are proving to be a deserved success, with next production Romeo and Juliet, commencing on 12th May, likely to deliver equal quality.

★★★★★
 

Laura Ewing

The Painkiller is on at the Garrick Theatre from 5th March until 30th April 2016. Book your tickets here.

Watch actor Kenneth Branagh speak about the latest Branagh Theatre Company season here:

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

 

Related Itemsfeaturedreview

More in Theatre

“When you’re presented with different dilemmas in life, you respond accordingly”: Debbie Kurup on The Cher Show

Mae Trumata
Read More

2:22 A Ghost Story at Criterion Theatre

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

The House of Shades at Almeida Theatre

★★★★★
Csilla Tornallyay
Read More

Grease at Dominion Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

House of Ife at Bush Theatre

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More

Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs at Soho Theatre

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

Operation Mincemeat at Riverside Studios

★★★★★
Joe Milo
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Laura Ewing

The Painkiller

★★★★★

Dates

5th March - 30th April 2016

Price

£15-£95

BUY TICKETS

Links & directions

WebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7 June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar
    Food & Drinks
  • Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film
    Cannes
  • The Road Dance
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Innocents
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Top Gun: Maverick
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Harka
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Rodeo
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Alma Viva
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • “When you’re presented with different dilemmas in life, you respond accordingly”: Debbie Kurup on The Cher Show
    Theatre
  • Top Gun: Maverick
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Rodeo
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Alma Viva
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • 2:22 A Ghost Story at Criterion Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The House of Shades at Almeida Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Brasserie Blanc launches new look at Southbank branch
Ludovico Einaudi at the Hammersmith Apollo | Live review