The notices for An Oak Tree are warm without being unanimous. Tim Crouch’s two-hander, first performed in 2005, is back in London at The Other Palace, where he plays a failing stage hypnotist opposite a different guest actor each night, who, without having read or rehearsed the script, plays the father of the girl the hypnotist killed in a car accident. On press night, 7 October, that guest was Gwyneth Keyworth, and most of the critics single her out. Where they part company is over the machinery itself: for some, the exposed construction is the point and the grief still lands, while others admire the experiment more than they feel it.
The verdict: thirteen reviews in so far. Ten carry a star rating – seven four-star notices, one three-and-a-half and two threes – for an average of 3.8 out of 5, and three outlets publish no rating. Gwyneth Keyworth’s press-night turn is the nearest thing to common ground; the split is over whether the exposed mechanics leave room for the story of grief underneath.
What are critics saying about AN OAK TREE?
The Reviews Hub
"A classic deconstruction of theatre"
Reviewer: John Cutler
John Cutler finds that, more than twenty years after its first outing, the piece still has the power to impress, reading it as an inquiry into grief and into how a theatrical illusion is assembled in front of us.
"Gwyneth Keyworth on press night delivers something approaching a masterclass"
He notes that the actor’s cold encounter with the text is much of the draw, and warns that, with a new guest every night, each evening is something of a gamble.
LondonTheatre1
Reviewer: Chris Omaweng
Chris Omaweng admits the format takes some getting used to: the explanations slow the momentum, and the hypnotist’s act struck him as laborious.
"…a show that begins as something almost annoyingly sluggish but blossoms into something genuinely intriguing."
By the end he is won over, calling it a solid piece of experimental theatre and worth seeing.
West End Best Friend
Reviewer: Lisamarie Lamb
Lisamarie Lamb expected the constant feeding of lines to be distracting and found instead that it works rather well, with Keyworth a delight as she throws herself into whatever she is asked to do.
"An unusual, funny, and surprisingly moving production that's well worth experiencing."
Her reservations are that Crouch’s total command sometimes smooths away the uncertainty, and that a few shifts between comedy and sorrow sit awkwardly.
All That Dazzles
Reviewer: Sam Waite
Sam Waite calls Keyworth wonderful, but argues that it feels wrong to dwell on any one guest when none of them will play the part a second time.
"Of course, it helps that Crouch’s script is a genuinely moving hour of theatre."
He credits the clarity of the writing with giving each new actor room to take the role in their own direction.
Theatre and Tonic
"Vicarious. Human. Moving."
Reviewer: George
George, seeing a surprise-guest show of this kind for the first time, casts Crouch as the anchor of the evening and his hypnotist as the commanding, unlikeable villain who gives the guest room to shine.
"The most brilliant thing about this production is that I’m reviewing a show you will never see again."
The bare stage, closer to a rehearsal room than a set, adds to the sense of vulnerability, and the review ends by urging readers to go.
Staged
"Tim Crouch creates a powerful and fascinating theatrical world from almost nothing"
Reviewer: Karen Jemison
Karen Jemison admires Crouch’s nerve and his calm control of a room, and is most struck by how quickly the piece moves from visible construction to genuine feeling.
"Brave, unpredictable and at times moving, it is a fascinating watch."
She accepts that handing over some control as an audience member will not suit everyone, and argues that this is exactly what makes it work.
The Spy in the Stalls
Reviewer: Giles Broadbent
Giles Broadbent says Keyworth deserves every plaudit for building her character in real time, and enjoys the layers of actor, director and character stacked on top of one another.
"It leaves you uplifted and engaged and frustrated. It is beautiful and ugly."
His complaint is that the more absorbing the experiment becomes, the harder it is to engage with the people at its centre, and that the meeting between killer and parent is underwritten.
LondonTheatre.co.uk
"Tim Crouch's experimental play is both strange and revelatory"
Reviewer: Theo Bosanquet
Theo Bosanquet finds Crouch’s hypnotist a menacing, controlling presence, and notes that the confrontation the story sets up never really comes.
"…what unfolds is something strange, at points revelatory, and at others confoundingly opaque."
He admires the concept and the craft but was left, like the father, wanting a closure that stays out of reach.
North West End
Reviewer: Alice Rose
Alice Rose calls it a piece of theatre unlike anything else, and enjoyed watching a guest who genuinely does not know what comes next.
"Some moments felt like the realest thing I have ever watched on stage due to its moment-to-moment delivery"
Against that, the abrupt scene changes leave emotions hanging, and she doubts anyone looking for a catharsis around their own grief will find it here.
Production photographs by Pamela Raith.
Theatre Weekly
Reviewer: Oliver Valentine
Oliver Valentine praises the play’s storytelling and two striking poetic passages, and thinks Keyworth caught the grief in the role.
"An Oak Tree is a marmite show which audiences will choose to love or hate…"
The cooler half of his notice: dropped vocal projection from both performers wore on him, and by the end the novelty had faded into something he found over-indulgent.
On In London
Reviewer: Caitlin Neal
Caitlin Neal admires the boldness of the experiment and the courage of the guests, and picks out a tearful scene as Keyworth’s strongest moment.
"Yet while I respected An Oak Tree, I rarely felt emotionally invested in it."
She often found herself waiting for the play to arrive somewhere more substantial, with jokes and musical interludes undercutting scenes just as they began to land.
London Theatre Reviews
"Moving, funny, unmissable"
The most enthusiastic notice in the bunch finds Keyworth’s performance gentle and moving, and the bare staging an invitation for the audience to do some of the work.
"The play is over 20 years old and it is not tired."
It praises the writing as tight and witty and suggests going back for a second night with a different guest.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Dave Fargnoli, four stars, "Tim Crouch puts another batch of guest stars through the emotional wringer of this theatrical experiment"), whose review sits behind a registration wall.
The guest list keeps growing through the run: Adrian Lester, Katie Leung and Rosie Sheehy are among the latest names, following Reece Shearsmith, Hugh Skinner and Josh Finan. For another of this week’s openings, see our roundup for Franz & Marie at the Charing Cross Theatre.
An Oak Tree is booking at The Other Palace until Sunday 15 November 2026.
