Moon on a Rainbow Shawl

Time Out“Huge-hearted production...” The play hasn't aged perfectly: its plotting creaks on occasion, there are few surprises, and some characters are not fully fledged. But the lead performances are simply firecracker fare...

Financial Times“This fine revival of Errol John's play...” It’s a slow, sometimes predictable, play but director Michael Buffong’s beautifully detailed staging eases through this and his excellent ensemble makes us feel the playwright’s deep sympathy for his characters...

The Telegraph“Moon on a Rainbow Shawl is difficult not to like...” A soap opera it may be, but it is played out with such conviction by the ensemble cast, ably directed by Michael Buffong, that it is hard not to be affected by it...

The Independent“Don't miss this...” Revivals of Moon on a Rainbow Shawl are rare and Errol John's seminal Caribbean drama deserves to be recognized as a 20th-century classic. First staged in 1958 and now enjoying a National Theatre production with an excellent ensemble...

The Arts Desk“There is a vibrant sense of life...” This is a traditional well-made play that slowly winds and weaves like a river, occasionally becoming muddy and sometimes slowing down in the backwaters. Unlike most plays of the 1950s, it shows an enormous range of characters and social types...

The Observer“Seems fresh as the day it was written...” A mother is at the heart of the drama. Sophia Adams, beautifully played by Martina Laird, is far more than the stereotypical West Indian matriarch no one dares to cross – although she has perfected the art of the straight look...

Whatsonstage.com“Perfectly achieves the atmosphere of scorched melancholy...” Transcends race and place. Despite its historical interest around immigration, there’s no doubt director Michael Buffong intends us to see echoes of London’s poorest estates, but his languid, heartfelt production lets us make the leap ourselves..

Evening Standard“The production’s power gradually accumulates...” Although there are moments of furious confrontation, for the most part its potency is quiet. With apt music by the Ebony Steel Band and an array of vivid performances, it’s a well-crafted slow burner, spiced with humour...

The Stage“An expertly orchestrated mixture of sadness and riotous fun...” Soutra Gilmour’s traverse design allows, like the direction, for colour and vigour without sentimentality. The characters, desperate for escape, are both attractive and flawed...

Guardian“An admirably restrained production...” It amply justifies revival since, in its vivid portrait of life in a Trinidadian backyard in the immediate postwar period, it explains much about Caribbean history...