" 'The Shape of Things' is a production about coercive control at its most subtle stages...This creates a show that's equal parts disturbing and intriguing - something you can't take your eyes away from while knowing it will likely end badly. As a result, it's a stellar piece of theatre."
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With that said, the production itself has plenty to acclaim it. The performances are all strong given the material, and Pete Butler’s minimalist set deserves particular praise for being flexible yet unobtrusive, allowing us to focus on the characters and their relationships. Director Nicky Allpress keeps things snappy with quick transitions and pacey delivery, which means that despite the text’s flaws, the cast never lose our attention and get plenty of laughs to boot. All the same, it begs the question of why we revive texts; normally it is because it speaks to a particular cultural moment, yet it was difficult to find a relevance to hook into here. Jarvis Cocker has more to say.
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"Overall, the script is lumpy. The punchlines seem to be in the wrong places...The joke would be so much stronger with a little nudge of the syntax."
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"Strap yourself in, as this is a play to make you think, laugh, and squirm in your seat...'The Shape of Things' raises a lot of questions about subjectivity and reality and provides few answers. Some would call it art."
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"Adam’s anger in his final confrontation with Evelyn isn’t totally convincing, and the play never quite lands a killer blow. But the plot is as finely engineered as a sports car and carries you away just as smoothly."
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"The dialogue still crackles in Nicky Allpress’s pacey revival, even if the piece is a tad too schematic, and the final scene adds a debate about art and ethics that audience members should be left to have among themselves on the way home."
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"The ending lands with a soft punch but still leaves us dwelling on LaBute’s seductive sociopaths, and what, exactly, makes them tick."
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"Director Nicky Allpress sets a snappy pace here, breezing through the play’s witty conversations while building an effective sense of unease that grows steadily until the devastating final-act twist."
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