Reviews

• Cristina

  Jun 18, 2016

  Excellent!

• Sarah Blake

  May 3, 2016

  The play was very funny and we did have an enjoyable evening but it was spoiled as we were unable see half of the stage.

• Matt Clarke

  Apr 27, 2016

  Brilliant comedy, well acted in the main, timing was spot on. Highly recommended

• Lyn Pitson

  Apr 27, 2016

  Great performances by all but especially Kenneth Branagh . He played the part with thought and humour .

• Nicholas

  Apr 26, 2016

  A study in how this genre should be played. Energetic to the point of exhaustion! And that describes not only the actors' physical and interpretive prowess but also the sheer delight of the audience! Stunning !

• Lg

  Apr 23, 2016

  Hilarious and made for a very enjoyable evening.

• Joanna kemp

  Apr 22, 2016

  This show is slick ,fast ,and so so funny an amazing script ,fantastic cast. cannot recommend it enough .I had tears from laughing so much

• John

  Apr 21, 2016

  Enjoyable performances in a play which was a predictable farce of the type I saw Brian Rix in forty years ago.

• TAJ

  Apr 21, 2016

  Kenneth Branagh is wonderfully funny. I've never seen him do physical comedy like this.

• Muriel

  Apr 19, 2016

  We were a bit slow to get going with the play, not finding it that funny at first, but eventually, Kenneth Branagh's turn, especially when drugged, was very funny.

• Allan from Essex

  Apr 17, 2016

  Possibly the funniest production I have ever seen on a London stage. The cast are magnificent. If you want to guarantee yourself a great night out you must see this.

• Sarah Macmorland

  Apr 15, 2016

  The time went so quickly as it was very funny and action packed. Kenneth Branagh was brilliant!

• Kerry

  Apr 14, 2016

  Loved it! Kenneth Branagh was hilarious as was Rob Brydon. Very cleverly done and such talent. Thankyou for a very entertaining evening.

• Missuzgb

  Apr 13, 2016

  My husband and I really enjoyed this as it was fast paced and acted to well. Every moment was slickly timed and choreographed and we really did shake with laughter. I had always wanted to see Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon live and the other actors were very well cast too.

• Chris C

  Apr 13, 2016

  What a great play. Both Brannagh and Brydon excellent. Could not believe the exquisite timing and comic acting shown. Recommend to anyone.

• Mike Vallance

  Apr 12, 2016

  The play and cast were just fantastic the 90 minutes went so quick. The comic farce wad very good and we really enjoyed the experience.

• Judith Clarke

  Apr 12, 2016

  Amazing show, very funny and brilliant acting by all but particularly Kenneth Branagh.

• Roz

  Apr 12, 2016

  We enjoyed the Painkiller from its hilarious beginning to its farcical end, we were exhausted with laughter. Kenneth Branagh was brilliant and Rob Bryden was wonderful, as were the rest of the cast. Well worth our journey from Cheshire to see the play!

• Sall

  Apr 12, 2016

  Very entertaining. Mr Branagh's accent(s) were difficult to know where he was supposed to be from. Some massive overacting but very entertaining. The wife had 2 lines which were utterly worth waiting for. Good fun.

• Diana

  Apr 12, 2016

  The Painkiller surpassed my expectations ! Very well acted, fast moving performance from the moment the lights went down. The whole cast were tremendous keeping the pace going at top speed. Thoroughly recommended !

• Nikki D

  Apr 12, 2016

  Loved every minute! Laughed so much - a great evening - wanted to be entertained and I was not disappointed at all. We had restricted view seat A1 and A2 Dress Circle but leaned forward a little and did not miss a second - great fun!

• Wendy Bower

  Apr 11, 2016

  This show was one of the funniest we have ever seen - classic farce, performed by an extremely accomplished cast. We are long-time admirers of Sir Ken, and try to see anything he's involved in, and this was a quite different role. Loads of physical comedy made this a real joy to see.

• Linda Webb

  Apr 11, 2016

  Very good show. Rob Brydon was very good but Kenneth Brannagh was amazing. I had no idea he was such a brilliant comic actor. Very funny. Very enjoyable.

• KT

  Apr 11, 2016

  The Painkiller was most enjoyable - Kenneth Brannagh was surprisingly humurous, I had only seen him in more serious roles previously. Rob Brydon was his very Welsh self and entertaining as ever as was the hotel porter. For a cast of only 6 very entertaining and would recommend.

• ICD

  Apr 11, 2016

  This was purely and simply a farce whereas the blurb had led on to hopw for soemthing a little more serious. The acting - particularly Branagh's - was great and there were laughs a-plenty, but too much of the humour descended into camp, or men accidentall adopting positions suggesting homosexual sex. Bit truite.

• Mrs B. Wiltshire

  Apr 10, 2016

  We laughed till our sides hurt! This was a really funny play. The language was choice in places but appropriate to the farce and we were assured by our teenage son 'nothing worse' than he hears at school! He also thought it hilarious. Thoroughly recommend this play.

• Jill Hackett

  Apr 10, 2016

  The best play I've seen since the mousetrap. I laughed the whole time. Brilliant

• Bruce

  Apr 10, 2016

  We really enjoyed this performance. Excellent comedic farce and slapstick. Branagh and Brydon the dream team with good supporting cast.McQueen is a personal favourite and was superb as Dr Dent. Hadfield's camp performance also a highlight. Thoroughly recommend ;)

• Tina

  Apr 10, 2016

  Totally entertaining play. Well written and very well executed. The whole cast were brilliant and we laughed all the way through.

• CoFe

  Apr 10, 2016

  I really enjoyed the play. I thought Kenneth Branagh was wonderful and regretted that I didn't book tickets to see "A Winter's Tale". It would have been interesting to compare both appearances on stage.

• Maryanne

  Apr 10, 2016

  Thank goodness for the Brian Rix tradition of farce for this play brought back happy childhood memories of 60s shared family TV viewing. Although the genre and script are not strictly speaking family listening the overall interpretation was the same. A real belly laugh with wit and belief. Rob Brydon is naturally totally watchable with his fabulous accent for timing - he keeps us hanging on every word. Kenneth Branagh is Ken Brannagh - adaptable convincing persuasive. Great 90mins.

• Mr angry of b.h

  Apr 10, 2016

  Trust me you will not hear a thing said in this threatre on stage, unlike other threatre which have microphone on stage. I for the first time brought 3 show in advance for the Branagh season what a big mistake

• Susan Kydd

  Apr 9, 2016

  We had an excellent evening of entertainment from the cast of The Painkiller. Everyone sparkled in this ensemble piece. Well timed physical and spoken comedy did not faulter throughout. There were probably as many unseen hands behind the scenes as onstage and everyone performed at their peak. I cannot recommend this farce enough. It's laugh out loud funny. Congratulations to all involved.

• Heather

  Apr 9, 2016

  Show was a bit slow at first but once Kenneth Branagh was given the horse tranquilliser (part of the story) his performance was brill. I am now a fan and will look out for anything and everything he is in. What a versatile actor and his performance made my night. Thank you Kenneth Branagh.

• Susan

  Apr 9, 2016

  Utterly superb!

• Georgina Smith

  Apr 9, 2016

  Very well written and a brilliant cast, it certainly did deliver. Thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Not having an interval meant we got home earlier too, however some people may want to get a drink beforehand so be aware. Would highly recommend.

• Kate W

  Apr 8, 2016

  Modern farce with Rob Brydon and Ken Brannagh hamming it up and seemingly throughly enjoying them selves. The production was slick and the whole evening very enjoyable. A treat to see Mr. Brannagh's talent being used to great comedic effect. No idea how is back held up!

• M

  Apr 8, 2016

  I am not a regular theatre goer. It's short, sharp and snappy. Delivered in a breathtaking 90 minutes - with no mid session break. The comedy is at times fantastic and the stage set up is great. Both Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon are really good in their own ways, but together they're even better. There was a bit too much slap stick for me, but for the low price it was well worth it. If I had got the higher priced tickets, then this would have been a 3 star review.

• Zoe

  Apr 8, 2016

  Excellent play, very entertaining with clever timing. We are a family with three teenage boys who laughed all the way through. All actors were well cast and gave huge energy to their roles. Great family night out.

• pedro casillas

  Apr 7, 2016

  Unfortunately, i was not able to go to the performance and there do not seem to be any tickets on sale on this site!

• Charlotte

  Apr 6, 2016

  Absolutely marvellous. Such a treat.

• Elisabeth

  Apr 5, 2016

  I laughed for 90 minutes! Great story, great acting, loved it!

• Lesley Walton

  Apr 4, 2016

  The play was excellent however my son and husband had to stand up st the back to see because their seats were very restricted view but not sold as such seats

• JW

  Apr 4, 2016

  Not sure what I expected but the play exceeded all expectations. A truly great performance and evening. Never laughed so much and been so captivated throughout.

• Marjorie from Connecticut

  Apr 4, 2016

  This was the best show that I saw during my week of theatre in London. Kenneth Branagh brought very low comedy (slapstick) to a very high art and revealed another side to his many talents that I didn't even know he possessed. He and his co-star, Rob Byson, had us all laughing to the point of tears in this 90 minute gem of a comedy that is completely silly and completely satisfying.

• Joanna

  Apr 3, 2016

  Amazing comedy timing, this is a brilliant play, well worth seeing. You will ache where you will of laughed so much!!!! Treat yourself.

• Linda Koncewicz

  Apr 3, 2016

  Excellent play. Brilliant comic timing and wonderful to see the cast on the stage. Particularly good to see Kenneth Branagh in a comedy story after watching his tortuous character Wallender go through so many emotional trials and tribulations. They are all very impressive.

• Julie

  Apr 3, 2016

  It was pretty awful really and not very high class. You needed to be on pain-killers to appreciate it maybe? I can't believe the level of applause it received at the end. Quite funny though, but not worth the £57

• Carol

  Apr 3, 2016

  This is a hugely enjoyable show. I was laughing out loud alongwith other members of the audience. The partnership between Brannagh and Brydon has to be seen at first hand - their comedic timing is fantastic!!

• Lesley

  Apr 2, 2016

  The show was very enjoyable, largely because of the excellent acting skills and timing of the cast, Kenneth Branagh in particular. They worked hard and were clearly enjoying it themselves. It was not too long, as the farcical element could become tedious.