Unicorn starring Stephen Mangan and Nicola Walker – review round-up

Unicorn – a passionless play

In his previous plays, Mike Bartlett has explored everything from workplace bullying to the future of the monarchy to contemporary American politics. Here, he turns his attention to the possibilities and problems of polyamory. Are the critics enamoured?

Not particularly. Unicorn is “lots of talk and no action” according to Arifa Akbar (Guardian, ★★) and “fails to land” according to Sarah Crompton (WhatsOnStage, ★★★). “For a drama that is concerned with desire, it’s verbose and oddly passionless,” agrees Sam Marlowe (The Stage, ★★). “Its circuitous musings verge on frustrating.”

It is a “garrulous study of sexual manners,” describes Clive Davis (Times, ★★). “The first half offers some provocative questions about the unsettling power of desire, but an overlong series of conversational tableaux loses its grip well before the end.”

Unicorn does have a few fans, though. Marianka Swain (LondonTheatre, ★★★★) finds it a “gloriously funny and deeply empathetic” play that “grows into a profound meditation on relationships, ageing, honesty and our capacity to change”, while Dominic Cavendish (Telegraph, ★★★★) hails it as “intricately entertaining” and Nick Curtis (Standard, ★★★★) labels it “a rollicking, stimulating ride”.

Unicorn – deft direction, distracting design

James Macdonald is one of the most experienced directors working in British theatre, having staged several acclaimed world premieres by Sarah Kane and Caryl Churchill, plus the celebrated London premieres of plays by Annie Baker and Florian Zeller.

Here, his direction impresses again. It is “slick” for Curtis, “deft” for Swain, and “unobtrusive but taut” for Crompton. “Macdonald is a good choice of director,” agrees Andrzej Lukowski (TimeOut, ★★★). “If Unicorn is a million miles away from the works by Kane and Churchill he made his name with, then he has a toughness and a refusal to kowtow to sitcom-style laugh-milking that stands the play in good stead.”

Designer Miriam Buether is similarly celebrated, having staged some of the biggest hits in British theatre over the last two decades, with recent productions including Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Prima Facie, and Patriots. Here, she sits Unicorn’s three characters on sofas, benches and beds underneath a large, circular canopy.

It is a design with which several critics find fault. Curtis calls it “distracting” and “garish”, Swain labels it “heavy-handed”, Akbar complains of it “leeching” the play’s “intimacy” and Cavendish confesses he “wasn’t wild” about it. It “more resembles a glorified tent than a boudoir of possibilities,” he writes, and has “no great sets appeal”.

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Unicorn – a compelling cast

Mangan and Walker have both spent three decades on stage and screen. They also have plenty of experience playing a couple together, having appeared in four series of the TV drama The Split. It shows, according to the critics.  

As Nick, Mangan is “unsurpassable at that very British, self-deprecating discomfort”, writes Swain, while Walker is “a fierce joy as Polly, barrelling through rollercoaster monologues”. Mangan is “a low-key revelation” and Walker brings a “blend of sardonic irreverence and curmudgeonly vivacity” that is “very much her own”, agrees Lukowski.

On screen, Doherty is best known for her role as Princess Anne in The Crown. On stage, she has earned acclaim for her performances in The Crucible at the National Theatre and in Death Of England: Closing Time at @sohoplace. She has been handed a difficult role here, according to the critics, but nonetheless impresses again.

“While Doherty does feel slightly saddled with the Manic Pixie Gen-Z role, she makes the most of it, her enthusiasm and openness compelling,” writes Lukowski, while Swain praises her “cool self-assurance” and Akbar her “spirit and comedy”. According to Crompton, Doherty “steals the show” with “a lovely, subtle, darting performance”.

Unicorn – the verdict

Unicorn boasts deft direction from Macdonald and strong performances from stars  Mangan, Walker and Doherty, but the critics are disappointed by Buether’s design and largely underwhelmed by Bartlett’s play, which most reviewers reckon lacks the requisite passion to properly explore its polyamorous premise.

Four-star reviews from LondonTheatre, the Telegraph and the Evening Standard provide some positive press for the posters, but the majority of critics opt to only award two or three stars, suggesting that, while Unicorn satisfies the appetites of some, most will want to explore the alternatives.