The Unfriend 2023
Ages: 12+
Opened: January 19, 2023Closing: April 16, 2023
The Unfriend - 2023 West End History , Info & More
Criterion Theatre
218-223 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1V 9LB, United Kingdom London
Following its acclaimed sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, prepare to welcome The Unfriend to the West End for a strictly limited run at the Criterion Theatre.
This riotous dark comedy from writer Steven Moffat and director Mark Gatiss, the award-winning team behind BBC’s Sherlock, stars an uproarious cast including Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9), Amanda Abbington (Sherlock) and Frances Barber (Silk).
While on holiday Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She’s less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch - because no one ever really does, do they?
When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. Too late, they learn the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski. Deadly danger has just boarded a flight to London!
What began as a casual holiday friendship is now a threat to the lives of their children. Peter and Debbie now face the ultimate challenge of the modern world - how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming a bit impolite. Because guess who’s coming… to MURDER.
__Assisted performances__
Wednesday 8th March 7:30pm – Captioned
Saturday 18th March 2:30pm – British Sign Language Interpreted
Saturday 1st April 2:30pm – Audio Described
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR The Unfriend
No murder please, we're English!
8 / 10
Director Mark Gatiss plays gleefully into the shifting power dynamics. From the moment she arrives, Barber's gloriously ostentatious Elsa is in total control both physically and metaphorically of Peter and Debbie. They are wriggling worms under her boot. Shearsmith as Peter is particularly adept at capturing the idiosyncrasies of an awkward dad. There is something a bit Matt Hancock about him in the way he squirms frantically, only to be put in place by his long-suffering judicious wife.
Packed with pithy one-liners
6 / 10
You might hope for more bite in a comedy about a potential poisoner inveigling her way into a suburban family: the tone here is thoroughly tame. There is some mildly embarrassing toilet humour and gentle sending up of the stereotypical foibles of gauche Americans and stuffy Brits. Still, the script is undeniably funny. Packed with pithy one-liners, the show gains momentum after a slow start, ratcheting up the cringe factor with every new revelation.
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Review Roundup: THE UNFRIEND at the Criterion Theatre
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 20, 2023
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 20, 2023
Following its acclaimed sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, The Unfriend has now opened in the West End for a strictly limited run from 15 January. This riotous dark comedy from writer Steven Moffat and director Mark Gatiss, the award- winning team behind BBC's Sherlock, stars an uproarious cast including Reece Shearsmith, Amanda Abington and Frances Barber.
What did the critics think of Steven Moffat's dark comedy?
Review: THE UNFRIEND, Criterion Theatre
by Alexander Cohen - January 20, 2023
by Alexander Cohen - January 20, 2023
As much a comedy of menace as it is a comedy of manners.
The Unfriend History
Other Productions of The Unfriend
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