Maisie Williams Is Mesmerising In I And You At Hampstead Theatre

I and You, Hampstead Theatre ★★★☆☆

By Chris Bridges Last edited 65 months ago

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Maisie Williams Is Mesmerising In I And You At Hampstead Theatre I and You, Hampstead Theatre 3
 I And You At Hampstead Theatre review

The dying teenager is a trope that’s been explored endlessly in films and dramas. Here, teenager Caroline, (Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones) is not so much wilting away as petulantly hiding away in her bedroom while sharing pictures of her cat on social media and being generally furious. Unable to go to school while she awaits a suitable liver to replace her defective one, she’s horrified and yes, furious, still, when wholesome Anthony polls up with a school project on Walt Whitman.

Apparently author Lauren Gunderson is the second most performed playwright in America after Shakespeare. There’s something oddly formulaic about this piece though. The dialogue feels contrived, the trajectory is predictable (they argue, she softens, they stop arguing). There’s also a twist that announces itself with a placard saying “I’m a huge twist coming” a third of the way through.

What saves the piece is the quality of the production. Maisie Williams and newcomer Zach Wyatt are both mesmerising, the set is elaborate and evocative and in spite of an occasionally ropey script, ultimately, this improbable piece works.

I and You, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Street, NW3 3EU. Tickets £10-37, until 24 November 2018.

Last Updated 29 October 2018