Review: Skylight at the Wyndham's Theatre

Matthew Beard & Carey Mulligan 

Skylight

Wyndham's Theatre 

Reviewed on Saturday 21st June 2014

The much anticipated revival of David Hare's Skylight directed by Stephen Daldry sees Bill Nighy reprise his performance as Tom opposite Carey Mulligan as Kyra in her West End debut. Set in Kyra's grotty Kensal Rise flat (Bob Crowley's open plan design set against a backdrop of high rise council flats), Skylight is an intense play dealing with broken relationships, love and loss. 

A young Kyra forged a career and a home with Tom and his family but the two of them fell in love and had a 6-year affair. When Tom's wife found out, Kyra left rather than face the family and Tom. Three years later, and a year after the death of his wife, restaurateur Tom visits his ex-lover late at night hoping to rekindle their romance...

Bill Nighy & Carey Mulligan

What follows is a complex story of the past and present as their passions unfold - a mix of anger and love as their morals and principles clash.

Nighy is as ever superb - although there's no question that he remains Bill Nighy on stage, he is at times pitiable, loveable and aggravating. His chemistry with Mulligan is tender and you can believe she really does love him, even though their beliefs are very different and they've both hurt each other.

Nighy and Mulligan complement each other well, her soft voiced calmness against his loud restlessness. As he paces around her flat, she curls up in a chair and her anger seems very contained until she snaps and hurls a drawer of cutlery at Tom's head. Their speeches nevertheless hit home and both wryly deliver lines that might have been less funny in the hands of another. 

Their conversation is intense but very natural, especially as Mulligan cooks spaghetti bolognaise onstage as they chat. Their talk of bankers, social workers and deprived children are all topics still discussed today, only a few lines are dated.

Mulligan's brief scenes with Tom's son Edward (Matthew Beard) show that Kyra truly was part of their family. Beard's awkward adolescence feels slightly contrived, but these scenes are touching and make us wonder if perhaps Kyra's choice to leave was for Tom's wife and children after all.

Powerful, provocative and emotional, the strong performances from Nighy and Mulligan make this production a resounding success.

Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes

Skylight runs at the Wyndham's Theatre until Saturday 23rd August 2014.

Please visit www.SkylightWestEnd.com for further information and tickets.

Photo Credit: John Haynes 

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