Skip to main content
Frozen response
A challenging play about a child killer leaves MARY CONWAY somewhat cold
Splendid: Suranne Jones and Nina Sosanya in Frozen [Johan Persson]

Frozen
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London

BRYONY LAVERY’S Frozen arrives at the Theatre Royal with a starry cast and a formidable track record after previous productions at Birmingham Rep, the National Theatre and on Broadway attracted award nominations.

But there's something about Lavery's story of a remorseless serial killer who commits the kind of crime that makes avengers of us all and sets mobs baying for blood that leaves me cold.

Centred on the rape and murder of a child, Frozen cuts through spontaneous revulsion with intelligent questions while seeming to exploit, rather than dissipate, the prurience of the world at large.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
fire fire web
Theatre Review / 14 September 2026
14 September 2026

MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script

slowfire
Theatre review / 27 August 2026
27 August 2026

MARY CONWAY admires a brave and topical study of Armageddon that is, unfortunately, unable to come to a conclusion

arday
BenchMarx / 21 August 2026
21 August 2026

ANGUS REID urges us to understand the persecution of Jason Arday from a political and historical perspective, and to see the victim in human terms

arcadia
Theatre Review / 11 February 2026
11 February 2026

MARY CONWAY becomes impatient with the intellectual self-indulgence of Tom Stoppard in a production that is, nevertheless, total class