Travelling Light

The Independent“A nothing-if-not-charming production by Nicholas Hytner...” Great subject matter but the play -- and the production --- fail to rise to their own piquant occasion...

The Arts Desk“Nicholas Hytner’s production has considerable charm...” On the whole the play is too gentle, too blandly reflective, to wield much impact. It has a sweet, ruminative appeal; but its muted pleasures feel decidedly ephemeral...

Guardian“A faithful evocation of the past...” What Wright captures vividly is the pioneering belief that films could be "noble, miraculous things" and the excitement of discovering new techniques...

Financial Times“Emphasises the extent to which the pioneers of Hollywood were Jewish...” The play makes the point that it is the story and the audience connection that matter, whatever the medium...

Time Out“Despite its initial promise, it lacks depth and warmth...” Here, at a meta-fictional tangent to history, his characters are less interesting than their context: they lack a vital spark of life...

The Stage“Over-the-top exaggeration of silent movie captioning...” Travelling Light is, despite its title, surprisingly heavy going, as it traces the early days of black and white silent film-making with a dogged determination that is full of texture but no tension...

this is london“Moments of pungent amusement in this tribute to Jewish creativity...” Wright's unabashedly sentimental piece is replete with folksy humour and features a commanding performance from Antony Sher. Steeped in nostalgia, this is theatre which advertises its interest in the past...

Whatsonstage.com“Beguiling alternative account of the birth of the moving picture...” In Lauren O'Neil’s Anna, Mendl – and Hytner – have indeed found a luminous star, with a bright intelligence on stage and real movie-icon charisma on screen...

The Telegraph“A theatrical valentine to the movies...” Though it is intermittently charming and funny, Travelling Light lacks dramatic depth, and this story of the early days of the movies has nothing like the sweetness or panache of the brilliant new silent movie The Artist...