''That Face'' is a two- act

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

written by Polly Stenham. It premiered at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 26 April 2007, directed by

Jeremy Herrin Jeremy Herrin is an English theatre director. He is the artistic director of Headlong Theatre. Career Having trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Herrin was an assistant director ...

. The play was revived at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

in the West End in 2008, opening on 1 May. It made its American premiere in May 2010, at the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has g ...

, running through until 27 June.

Plot

Mia is at boarding school and has access to her mother's drugs. She gets into trouble for drugging a fellow student and this causes her father to be brought back to England from Hong Kong. Henry, her brother, has dropped out of school and has to stay at home and look after his alcoholic mother. Martha, their fading glamorous mother, controls their lives whilst her own sick mind and world crumble around her.

Original West End production

When ''That Face'' premiered on the West End, the cast was as follows:

Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards (for ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and ''Private Lives'') and a Tony Award (for ''Private Lives''). She has starred in several plays by Ha ...

Hannah Murray Tegan Lauren-Hannah Murray (born 1 July 1989) is an English actress. She played Cassie in '' Skins'' (2007–2008, 2013) and Gilly in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2019), for which she has been nominated along with her ca ...

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series '' Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series '' House of the Dr ...

Catherine Steadman Catherine Steadman is a British actress and author. Career Steadman trained at the Oxford School of Drama and made her screen debut playing Julia Bertram in '' Mansfield Park''. Since then she has appeared in television series such as ''The Tu ...

and Julian Wadham.Official Website
/ref> Prior to the West End transfer,

Felicity Jones Felicity Rose Hadley Jones (born 17 October 1983) is a British actress. She started her professional acting career as a child, appearing in '' The Treasure Seekers'' (1996) at age 12. She went on to play Ethel Hallow for one series of the tel ...

played the

role.

2010 New York production

The

mounted the play on its Stage I in May 2010, with

Cristin Milioti Cristin Milioti (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing Tracy McConnell in the CBS sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'' from 2013 to 2014, and for her work in theater productions such as ''That Face'', ''Stunning'' ...

and Christopher Abbott portraying the siblings, and Laila Robins as the mother.

Landor Theatre

''That Face'' received its first London revival at The Landor Theatre from 12 November to 1 December 2013, starring Caroline Wildi as Martha, Rory Fleck-Byrne as Henry,

Stephanie Hyam Stephanie Hyam is a British actress and artist, notable for stage work including ''The James Plays'' (2014, Edinburgh International Festival and Royal National Theatre) and film and TV appearances including ''Their Finest'' (2017), ''Doctor Who'' ...

as Mia and

Georgina Leonidas Georgina Leonidas (born 28 February 1990) is a British actress best known for playing Molly in ''The Basil Brush Show'', and Katie Bell in ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' and ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2''. Early ...

as Izzy.

Critical reaction

''That Face'' was received positively by critics, who particularly praised the new writer and the performances from the actors. Charles Spencer of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' said it was "a blazing, no-holds barred production… Fresh, passionate and blackly comic – exhilarating... Lindsay Duncan’s superb performance...Matt Smith is outstanding.". ''The Daily Express'' mentioned that " Polly Stenham is a modern successor to

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

or Edward Albee... Intensely moving, skillfully crafted piece." ''The Daily Express'', ''The Evening Standard'', ''The Guardian'', ''The Times'', ''Time Out'', ''Metro'', ''Radio 4'' and ''The Sunday Times'' also reviewed it very positively. In late 2009, the play was named at no. 9 in The Times Top Twenty Plays of the Decade. It also received three Olivier Award nominations (one in 2008, before the transfer, then nods for Best New Play and Best Actress in a Play in 2009).

References

;Footnotes {{Reflist ;Sources *Benedict, David (25 April 2007).
That Face
. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''. Retrieved on 19 April 2008. *Wolf, Matt (9 May 2007).
In London, Two Small Shows Attract Full Houses
. '' International Herald Tribune''. Retrieved on 19 April 2008. English plays 2008 plays West End plays