The first reviews are in for Some Woman, Helen Edmundson’s new play at the National Theatre’s Dorfman, which had its press night on Thursday 15 October. Anne-Marie Duff plays Julie Robson, a divorced mother who is sworn at by a schoolboy on a station platform, complains, and finds the accusations turned on her. The critics have not settled on the play: some call it gripping and timely, others implausible, overloaded or preachy. On Duff they very nearly agree, and Robert Jones’s shape-shifting set wins friends on both sides. More reviews are still to come, and we will add them here as they arrive.
The verdict: eleven reviews in so far, and they are split: three four-star notices, four at three stars and three at two, plus the Financial Times, whose rating sits behind its paywall. Among the ten that score, the average is 3.0 out of 5. Nearly every critic singles out Anne-Marie Duff; where they part company is over the play itself. Several national critics have yet to file, so treat this as a first edition: we will update this post as more reviews come in.
What are critics saying about SOME WOMAN?
WhatsOnStage
"Helen Edmundson’s world premiere play, directed by Blanche McIntyre, runs in the Dorfman until 21 November"
Reviewer: Sarah Crompton
Sarah Crompton files the warmest of the national notices so far, placing the play beside Prima Facie and Inter Alia as drama about the law failing women, and calling Julie a finely shaded creation that Anne-Marie Duff fills completely. A few scenes stop short or tip into melodrama, by this account, and Geoffrey Streatfeild’s ex-husband earns praise of his own.
“it’s a tense and engrossing evening and a wonder to spend it with Duff, the kind of actor you could watch forever”
Time Out
"Anne-Marie Duff stars in this gripping thriller about a middle-aged woman whose bad day turns into a nightmare"
Reviewer: Holly O’Mahony
Holly O’Mahony finds the early scenes slow and the recurring train sounds a little heavy, but argues the patient build is deliberate, and that once the case turns on Julie the evening grips hard. The supporting men are praised for how sharply they are drawn, Stephen Wight’s speech as the boy’s father above all, and Hannah Onslow gets a nod for her stage debut.
“the experience of watching it is more like a slow strangulation – one that leaves you feeling thoroughly shaken and queasy on the other side”
London Box Office
"Anne-Marie Duff is back centre stage where she belongs"
Reviewer: Stuart King
Stuart King counts this among the year’s outstanding lead performances and reads the play as a pointed case about what women are asked to give up, and how rarely anyone notices. Blanche McIntyre’s production is called splendid, and the review saves particular admiration for the set and its carefully drilled scene changes.
“One of the biggest stars of the evening is Rob Jones’ beautiful set design with its meticulously timed and choreographed transitions”
The Arts Desk
"strong social issues, but a bit too didactic"
Reviewer: Aleks Sierz
Aleks Sierz rates the first half as a compelling thriller and Duff’s performance as excellent, but feels the plot grows less credible as it goes and its picture of the men more lopsided. The issues matter and are written with real sympathy, the review concludes, yet ideas end up taking precedence over people, and the closing speech is judged a cop-out.
“This is a solid naturalistic drama that articulates an important social issue, but it’s a bit too didactic for my liking.”
The Reviews Hub
"Drawn out"
Reviewer: Scott Matthewman
Scott Matthewman sets the play against Adolescence and finds it wanting, faulting a first hour of slow, pause-heavy dialogue and a script that never quite holds the interest. The design’s receding concrete shell is credited with saying more about Julie’s confinement than the text does, and the scene with Stephen Wight is singled out as the one that catches fire.
“Wight’s menace is palpable, and the sparring between him and Duff rises above the more banal elements of Edmundson’s script.”
LondonTheatre1
"A mixed bag if ever there was one"
Reviewer: Chris Omaweng
Chris Omaweng struggles with the plausibility of the legal case, reporting laughter in the house at its gaps, and finds the dialogue crowded with too many subplots given too little room. The set and its smooth transitions are the main redeeming feature here, and the company is credited with doing what it can.
“The cast do well with what they are given, but what they are given is all over the place.”
The Independent
"An exhaustingly bleak take on female rage"
Reviewer: Alice Saville
Alice Saville accepts the anger behind the play but finds its targets too many and its picture of the justice system hard to credit, especially beside Inter Alia. The design is judged stuck between kitchen-sink detail and abstraction, Tobi King-Bakare gets a warm mention, and Duff is felt to be held back by the writing rather than let loose.
“Still, with so many targets for its fury, this story delivers a generalised bludgeoning, rather than a knockout blow.”
LondonTheatre.co.uk
"Anne-Marie Duff is deeply sincere in this unsettling play"
Reviewer: Anya Ryan
Anya Ryan praises Duff’s visibly shaken, trembling Julie and allows that the script can unsettle, but finds its run of social issues familiar and the ending signalled well in advance. The family around Julie is the main complaint, with the elder daughter’s hostility left unexplained, though Grace Doherty is picked out as strong.
“Directed by Blanche McIntyre, the production has the feel of a BBC crime drama on heat.”
West End Best Friend
"An interesting premise pulled down by its own weight"
Reviewer: Oli Burgin
Oli Burgin admires the commitment of the company over nearly two hours without an interval, naming Hannah Onslow the stand-out, but finds the staging static and the play hard to warm to. Julie’s final stand is felt to lose its force because she is angry from the outset.
“The piece suffers overall from an emotional block with the audience”
Production photographs by Ellie Kurttz.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Sam Marlowe, three stars, "Anne-Marie Duff compels as a woman tormented by injustice in Helen Edmundson’s gender-political drama") and the Financial Times ("Anne-Marie Duff is outstanding in Some Woman, a queasy study of modern misogyny"), whose reviews sit behind paywalls.
For a look at the staging, see our first production photos from the Dorfman. Elsewhere this week, the critics have also had their say on Ghosts at Jermyn Street Theatre and The Cherry Orchard at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
Some Woman is booking at the Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre until Saturday 21 November 2026.
