What Did Critics Think of David Hare’s Coronavirus Play Beat the Devil, Starring Ralph Fiennes? | Playbill

The Verdict What Did Critics Think of David Hare’s Coronavirus Play Beat the Devil, Starring Ralph Fiennes? The solo show marks the reopening of London's Bridge Theatre.
Ralph Fiennes in Beat the Devil Manuel Harlan

The Bridge Theatre in London officially reopened August 27, marking its return with the world premiere of David Hare's Beat the Devil. Ralph Fiennes stars in the monologue play, inspired by Hare's own experience contracting COVID-19.

The production, directed by Nicholas Hytner, is scheduled to run through October 31. In accordance with U.K. safety regulations, the venue has reduced its capacity to 250.

Find out what critics thought below:

The Arts Desk (Rachel Halliburton)

Evening Standard (Nick Curtis)

The Guardian (Arifa Akbar)

Independent (Ava Wong Davies)

The Telegraph (Dominic Cavendish)

Time Out London (Andrezej Lukowski)

Variety (David Benedict)

Playbill will continue to update this list as more reviews come in.

Beat the Devil features sets and costumes by Bunny Christie, lighting design by John Clark, sound design by Gareth Fry, music by George Fenton, and research by Sophie Johnson.

Bridge Theatre's additional fall programming will include live performances of monologues from Alan Bennett's Talking Heads, in collaboration with BBC. Among those taking part will be Tamsin Greig, Lesley Manville, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Imelda Staunton.

A First Look at Ralph Fiennes in the Bridge Theatre’s Reopening Production, Beat the Devil

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