''That Face'' is a two- act

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written by Polly Stenham. It was premiered at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

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on 26 April 2007, directed by Jeremy Herrin. The play was revived at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

in the West End in 2008, opening on 1 May. It received its American premiere in May 2010, at the Manhattan Theatre Club, running through until 27 June.

Plot

Mia is at boarding school and has access to her mother's drugs. She gets into trouble for drugging a fellow student and this causes her father to be brought back to England from Hong Kong. Henry, her brother, has dropped out of school and has to stay at home and look after his alcoholic mother. Martha, their fading glamorous mother, controls their lives whilst her own sick mind and world crumble around her.

Productions

Original West End production

When ''That Face'' was premiered in the West End, the cast was as follows: Lindsay Duncan, Hannah Murray,

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...

, Catherine Steadman and Julian Wadham.Official Website
/ref> Prior to the West End transfer, Felicity Jones played the Hannah Murray role.

2010 New York production

The Manhattan Theatre Club mounted the play on its Stage I in May 2010, with

Cristin Milioti Cristin Milioti (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing The Mother, The Mother (How I Met Your Mother), Tracy McConnell, in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' from 2013 to 2014, and Sofia Falcone in the HBO ...

and Christopher Abbott portraying the siblings, and

Laila Robins Laila Robins (born March 14, 1959) is an American stage, film and television actress. She has appeared in films including '' Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), '' An Innocent Man'' (1989), '' Live Nude Girls'' (1995), ''True Crime'' (1999), ...

as the mother.

Landor Theatre

''That Face'' received its first London revival at The Landor Theatre from 12 November to 1 December 2013, starring Caroline Wildi as Martha, Rory Fleck-Byrne as Henry, Stephanie Hyam as Mia and

Georgina Leonidas Georgina Leonidas (born 28 February 1990) is a British actress best known for playing Molly in '' The Basil Brush Show'', and Katie Bell in ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1'', and ''Ha ...

as Izzy.

Critical reaction

''That Face'' was received positively by critics, who particularly praised the new writer and the performances from the actors. Charles Spencer of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' said it was "a blazing, no-holds barred production… Fresh, passionate and blackly comic – exhilarating... Lindsay Duncan’s superb performance...Matt Smith is outstanding.". ''The Daily Express'' mentioned that " Polly Stenham is a modern successor to

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

... Intensely moving, skillfully crafted piece." ''The Daily Express'', ''The Evening Standard'', ''The Guardian'', ''The Times'', ''Time Out'', ''Metro'', ''Radio 4'' and ''The Sunday Times'' also reviewed it very positively. In late 2009, the play was named at no. 9 in The Times Top Twenty Plays of the Decade. It also received three Olivier Award nominations (one in 2008, before the transfer, then nods for Best New Play and Best Actress in a Play in 2009).

References

;Footnotes {{Reflist ;Sources *Benedict, David (25 April 2007).
That Face
. '' Variety''. Retrieved on 19 April 2008. *Wolf, Matt (9 May 2007).
In London, Two Small Shows Attract Full Houses
. ''

International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France, for international English-speaking readers. It published under the name ''International Herald Tribune'' starting in 1967, but its ...

''. Retrieved on 19 April 2008. English plays 2008 plays West End plays