ajhlovestheatre

TILL THE STARS COME DOWN

by Beth Steel

directed by Bijan Sheibani 

Theatre Royal Haymarket, London – until 27 September 2025

running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including interval 

https://trh.co.uk/whatson/till-the-stars-come-down/

There’s a broad consensus that Mark Rosenblatt’s astonishing writing debut Giant was the best new play of 2024, with the RSC’s gripping, urgent climate change drama Kyoto as a worthy second. Terrific as they both are though, neither are as much fun as Beth Steel’s cracking wedding-from-hell saga Till The Stars Come Down which blasted open at the National early last year to universal popular and critical acclaim, and enjoyed further popularity on NT Live. Newly transferred into the West End, following a hiatus, it remains a pleasure to sit through, even if Bijan Sheibani’s semi-recast production doesn’t sit quite as well amongst the gilt and plush grandeur of the Theatre Royal Haymarket as it did in the intimacy of the Dorfman. 

Sheibani’s staging retains its in-the-round configuration by placing a couple of rows of the audience on the Haymarket stage, and involves the house by including us all in a singalong and amping up having the actors directly address us as though we’re wedding guests. The production also feels the loss of two key actresses from the National original. This is a piece that would have played brilliantly at Trafalgar Studios had it still existed, and in scaling up to fill its opulent new home, the pacing and rhythms, at least on press night, seemed a little off at moments, although that may iron itself out as the run progresses. Under these circumstances, Steel’s script, while still richly entertaining and gripping, doesn’t seem quite as rock solid as it previously did.

In earlier works like Wonderland and The House of Shades, Steel demonstrated a unique talent for mixing up the gritty realities of day-to-day lives with a bold melodramatic theatricality. This has elements of all that, but also a seam of wild humour, a clear-eyed take on the state of the UK today, and a cast of vivid characters drawn and played with truth and compassion. It is tremendous entertainment but it’s also more than that.

Set in Steel’s native Nottingham area, which probably explains the sometimes painful authenticity of the script, the piece centres on a wedding, the sort of event that is frequently a catalyst for emotions boiling over and ancient resentments coming to the fore. Steel further enriches this by making the family gathered to celebrate the nuptials of delicate Sylvia (Sinéad Matthews) to Polish Marek (Julian Kostov) a microcosm of the UK today. Thus Dad Tony (Alan Williams) is a former miner who hasn’t spoken to his brother Pete (Philip Whitchurch) for years over an issue with the strikes in the 1980s. Pete’s wife Carol (Dorothy Atkinson) is joyously lairy with an opinion, however controversial, on everything. Meanwhile, Sylvia’s brother-in-law (Adrian Bower) can’t find work due to the industries shutting down while his wife and Sylvia’s older sister Hazel (Lucy Black) views immigrants with suspicion. Their daughter Leanne (Ruby Thompson) is a bit of a lost soul…..

It sounds a lot to take in, but Steel drip feeds the information and the revelations with skill, the characters are so engaging (even when they’re being appalling) and the dialogue is so funny, salty and sharp that it washes over you as a couple of hours of utter, if occasionally painful, pleasure. Sheibani’s production plays out under a giant glitterball that suggests not just a party but the size of a planet, as if to put into perspective the human difficulties, joys and fury this onstage family is going through. Encountering it again though in a new space, the gear changes between rollicking comedy and high stakes near-melodrama seem more abrupt, and the juxtaposition of the universe at large with these tumultuous domestic lives feels more self conscious, less organic than it originally did. 

The acting is a treat. Dorothy Atkinson’s Aunty Carol is dourer and less the monstrous comic motor driving the play than Lorraine Ashbourne was originally, but she’s irresistibly funny, and finds the casual cruelty underneath the character’s gossipy vulgarian exterior. Note the way she casually throws away the sentence “the story of his life” about her own husband when recalling a long-ago fancy dress contest at which he came second. Lucy Black’s in-denial older sister, who expresses some pretty ugly viewpoints, has deepened and darkened into a stunning study of disappointment and barely contained fury. Similarly, Alan Williams’s grieving patriarch has gained in intensity, authority and sympathy from the NT run, it’s a subtle, wonderful portrayal. 

I missed the quiet intensity and warmth of Lisa McGrillis from the first cast as arguably the most relatable of the sisters….replacing her, Aisling Loftus is tremendously likeable and plays up the character’s vulnerability more. Sinéad Matthews’s childlike but tougher-than-she-looks Sylvia remains exquisite, and is thrilling when required to turn up the emotional heat. Opposite her, newcomer Julian Kostov invests Marek with a combination of bonhomie and intensity that rings entirely true. Seemingly younger and more innocent than his predecessor, he makes more sense of a vital, damaging second act plot development (no spoilers here!) 

Each design element (Samal Blak – set and costumes, Paule Constable- lighting, Gareth Fry – sound), works harmoniously but without detracting attention from the riveting, crackling dialogue and these fascinating characters. The play ends on a cathartic but too abrupt note, leaving a rapt audience wanting more. Ultimately, Till The Stars Come Down is a unique achievement: a superior situation comedy meets riveting family saga meets state-of-the-nation drama. Despite a few niggles about this current iteration, it remains that a rare and wonderful thing, a very good play that’s also a great big crowd pleaser.