Big Big Sky: Reviews Round-up

★★★★★ 'This poignant, uplifting play is just what we need right now' The Arts Desk

★★★★ 'This is a beautifully wistful play, full of charm and kindness by the bucketload' WhatsOnStage

★★★★  ‘A bittersweet, elegantly crafted story that entices with warmth, humour, emotional truths and universal themes’ The Stage

★★★★ 'Led by the cast’s wonderful performances, this production allows the beauty and tenderness in Wells’s play to soar.' The Upcoming

'A bittersweet gem that sends you out with recharged faith in human nature’ Daily Express

See what reviewers have been saying about Tom Wells' beautifully tender Big Big Sky...

Big Big Sky, Hampstead Downstairs review - a perfectly realised character study

Gary Naylor, The Arts Desk

'This poignant, uplifting play is just what we need right now'

'Get to Swiss Cottage early because Bob Bailey’s set for Tom Wells's new Hampstead Downstairs play Big Big Sky is a feast for the eyes.'

'I’ve seldom applauded at the curtain with a greater enthusiasm to return to these two men and two women to see how things turn out, discover how they meet the everyday challenges that lie before them, watch as respect and love grow, even as the inevitable bickering spills over into arguments and more. That, Mr Wells, is how successfully you conjured these people'   

'This beautifully crafted play demonstrates drama’s unique ability to forge the emotional connections that transcend social and physical distance. We’re with them under the big big sky of the Humber estuary because we're with them in their hearts and souls.'   

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Big Big Sky at the Hampstead Theatre – review

Daniella Harrison, WhatsOnStage

'Wells' writing is superb, delicately balancing humour and sensitive moments like holding a baby bird in the palm of your hand. Despite only seeing four characters, Wells really builds the community and we immediately understand the relationships within it.'

'This is a beautifully wistful play, full of charm and kindness by the bucketload. It's also useful to note that Hampstead are still seating audience members with social distancing, which is wonderful for those who are taking their first steps back into the theatre – and what a first show back this would be.'

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Big Big Sky

Paul Vale, The Stage

'Wells has a knack for creating knotty but utterly believable family relationships and this new play is no exception. His characters are decent people, who might not always get things right but are driven by kindness. Wells entices us with warmth, humour and quirky asides, but punches through with some heartbreaking emotional truths and universal themes.'

'Sympathetically directed by Tessa Walker, who has previously worked on several of Wells’ plays and knows how to make the most of it, Big Big Sky is given further emotional integrity by this accomplished quartet of performances.'

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Big Big Sky at Hampstead Theatre

James Humphrey, The Upcoming

'Set in a café in remote coastal East Yorkshire, Tom Wells’s Big Big Sky is a grounded little drama with a big, big heart. Inspired by the playwright’s own café experiences from his hometown Kilnsea, and directed by Tessa Walker for the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, the play is a sweet 90-minute sojourn into lives of a community, rendered with deep affection.'

'Walker’s naturalistic direction allows real intimacy to develop between the actors, especially in quiet beats held with genuine emotional weight. Designer Bob Bailey’s bright, clean café set, backdropped with a sweeping, painted cloudy horizon, is subtly embracing. Led by the cast’s wonderful performances, this production allows the beauty and tenderness in Wells’s play to soar.'

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Big Big Sky

NEIL NORMAN, DAILY EXPRESS

'A small play with a big big heart, Tom Wells's impeccably crafted four-hander is set in a seaside cafe in a remote part of East Yorkshire.'

'As the subtext of each personality is revealed, Wells's play takes on a reality that goes well beyond theatrical artifice and, aided by a quartet of outstanding performances, makes you believe you are watching four fundamentally decent people struggling with loss and grief as they try to find their way across the slippery pebbles of life.'

'A bittersweet gem that squeezes the heart before sending you out with recharged faith in human nature. See it if you can.'

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Big Big Sky plays Downstairs until 11 September. Tickets currently sold out, but keep an eye on the production page for returns.

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