Reviews are in for Cloud 9, Dominic Cooke’s revival of Caryl Churchill’s 1979 comedy in the National Theatre’s Lyttelton. The first act follows a Victorian colonial family in Africa; the second finds some of its members in 1970s London, aged only 25 years, with the cast swapping roles across the interval. Most critics welcome it, and the ensemble is widely praised, with Sam Troughton’s turn as the five-year-old Cathy the performance named most often. The Standard is the dissenting voice, arguing that parts of the play have not aged well.
4.0 / 5 from 5 criticsThe verdict: five reviews are in so far, all with star ratings: one five-star notice, three at four stars and three stars from The Standard, an average of 4.0 out of 5. The ensemble is praised across the board, Sam Troughton above all; where the critics part company is on how well the 1979 play has aged.
What are critics saying about CLOUD 9?
London Box Office
Reviewer: Stuart King
King calls it a superb new production of a play that, on paper, should not work. He credits Stuart Thompson’s restrained Betty and Troughton’s switch from the pompous Clive to the petulant Cathy.
"It’s all great fun and the stabs at colonialism and hypocrisy land thick and fast."
For him Ellen Robertson steals the second half as the older Betty, and he closes by predicting award nominations.
LondonTheatre.co.uk
"Caryl Churchill's topsy-turvy satire challenges gender roles and theatrical convention"
Reviewer: Anya Ryan
Ryan suspects the play speaks less directly to the present than it did at its first outing, but credits Cooke, a longtime Churchill collaborator, with a revival that shows how inherited ideas still shape us.
"Most of all, though, this is a wonderful ensemble to behold."
Troughton’s Cathy and Charlotte Ritchie’s journey from the stiff Maud to a freer Victoria are her highlights.
BroadwayWorld
"Caryl Churchill’s satire remains as biting as ever"
Reviewer: Josh Maughan
Maughan admires the contrast Cooke draws between a camp, deliberately ridiculous first half and a more grounded second, and the way Miriam Buether’s set lies wrecked across the stage after the interval.
"Caryl Churchill’s Cloud 9 feels entirely at home on our National Theatre stage."
He is less convinced by bringing audience members on stage, and notes some loss of precision in the second half.
The Reviews Hub
"Hauntingly new"
Reviewer: Maryam Philpott
Philpott expects Troughton’s Cathy to be one of the year’s most memorable turns, and finds his Victorian patriarch just as entertaining.
"In this lively production, Cooke makes Churchill’s satirical 1979 play feel brand new."
She finds the second act less entertaining and more demanding than the first, though it carries the play’s argument that little has really changed.
The Standard
"Cloud 9: Slightly dated work by greatest living playwright Caryl Churchill"
Reviewer: Nick Curtis
Curtis finds the production strongly cast and fluent, but argues the play now matters more for its place in history than for what it says today.
"The humour feels broad and coarse and some aspects have not aged well."
He is uneasy that the first half still plays sexual exploitation for laughs, and thinks the cross-gender casting no longer surprises as it once did.
For more from the London stage this week, read the critics on the Royal Ballet’s Visionaries, Dogstar at Hampstead Theatre and Nero at Southwark Playhouse Elephant.
Cloud 9 is booking at the Lyttelton, National Theatre until 13 January 2027.
