Riflemind

at the Trafalgar Studios 1

Genre: Drama
Opened 18 Sep 2008
Written: by Andrew Upton
Directed: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Cast: John Hannah, Paul Hilton, Susan Prior, Steve Rodgers, Jeremy Sims, Ruth Gemmell (Cindy)
Synopsis: Twenty years after their frontman, John, walked off stage for good, the iconic rock band Riflemind are set to get together again. For John , a reunion might be his second chance; for his wife Lynn , it could be the end of the world as she knows it ... As the band descends upon John's country manor, one weekend fast becomes the ultimate test of talent, friendship and loyalty.

What the popular press had to say.....
NICHOLAS DE JONGH for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Aggressively dull." THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "Andrew Upton, however, better known as Mr Cate Blanchett, has somehow managed to turn potential dramatic gold into dreary dross in a leaden and confusing drama that is poorly constructed, dismayingly unfunny, and without a single character you come to care about." BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "Not interesting enough. The cast is immaculate...The emotional stakes never seem as high as effective drama demands." PAUL TAYLOR for THE INDEPENDENT says, "This international co-producing effort is mortifyingly bad...There are dead lines, there are no deadlines to give the piece requisite tension." MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "May be of interest to aficionados but it never achieves the potency of theatrical metaphor...I felt that it never delivered its initial promise of putting rock in a wider social context."

External links to full reviews from popular press
The Independent
The Guardian
The Daily Telegraph
The Times

Production photo by Kerry Brown