The reviews are in for What the Animals Say, the first play by David Ireland, now receiving its London premiere at the Finborough Theatre in a production directed by Harry Burton. Written in 2009, long before Cyprus Avenue and The Fifth Step, it is a two-hander in which two former schoolmates from Belfast, a struggling actor and a celebrated footballer, meet by chance at the Stranraer ferry terminal, and old loyalties sour into something far more dangerous. Most of the critics are warm, and the fringe and independent press in particular praise the comedy and the double act of Matthew Blaney and Robbie Martin; BroadwayWorld and The Spy in the Stalls are more guarded, finding that the early play leaves some of its best ideas undeveloped.
The verdict: ten reviews in so far. Nine carry a rating: two five-star notices, four four-star and three three-star, an average of 3.9 out of 5, while FringeReview gives no star score. Almost every critic credits Ireland’s ear for dialogue and the pairing of Matthew Blaney and Robbie Martin; where they part company is over whether this early play’s politics run deep or stay on the surface.
What are critics saying about What the Animals Say?
LondonTheatre1
Reviewer: John Groves
John Groves came away delighted, struck by how much the play fits into its short running time and by how little it reads like anyone’s first attempt.
"If only all first plays were this enjoyable, and this well written!"
He enjoys the understated comedy of Blaney’s Jimmy and the way Martin makes the loud, foul-mouthed Eddie the more sympathetic of the two, has warm words for Burton’s light touch and the whole design team, and expects the show to make his personal top ten of the year.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews
Reviewer: Elaine C
Elaine C gives the production full marks and spends much of her notice on the set-up, from the clash over music in the ferry waiting room to the men’s very different fortunes.
"This production does not fail to deliver."
She notes how fully Alex Marker’s design uses the Finborough’s compact stage, found the fight direction convincing enough to make her wince, and credits the costumes with showing the gulf between the footballer and the actor at a glance.
Read Elaine C’s full review at Theatre, Art and Film Reviews
The Reviews Hub
"Punchy political comedy"
Reviewer: Fiona Paterson
Fiona Paterson finds the play both very funny and newly topical, and reads the Mel Gibson film at the heart of the plot as a pointed joke about how history gets rewritten.
"…an entertaining and palatable primer of the forces at play in Northern Ireland"
She admires Martin for playing a dimwit without losing the man’s honesty and confusion, and Blaney for the distance Jimmy travels from timid to savage, and she has nothing but praise for the staging, sound and lighting.
ReviewsGate
Reviewer: William Russell
William Russell is among the most enthusiastic, and argues that a play first seen in a lunchtime slot in Glasgow seventeen years ago has lost nothing with time.
"…one of those rare evenings in the theatre where everything is as it should be."
He picks out Alex Marker’s set, which carries the action from the ferry terminal to a film-set trailer with very little fuss, and closes by hoping the production is given a further life after this run.
London Pub Theatres Magazine
"tour-de-force performances"
Reviewer: Jessica Steans-Gail
Jessica Steans-Gail sees the play using laughter to probe the legacy of the Troubles, and thinks it has kept its relevance since its 2009 premiere.
"It’s thoroughly entertaining and the lack of heavy-handedness is refreshing."
Her one reservation is length: the arguments sometimes circle rather than advance, and she suspects some depth has been given up for a running time that races by.
Read Jessica Steans-Gail’s full review at London Pub Theatres Magazine
The Peg
"If We Could Talk To The Animals"
Reviewer: Simon Ward
Simon Ward finds it ferociously funny, with a threat never far beneath the banter, and credits Burton with keeping the tension at a steady simmer.
"His take on a topsy turvy world is always worth listening to…"
He praises the detailed work of Blaney and Martin, and the way each man resents and envies what the other has made of his life.
BroadwayWorld
Reviewer: Clementine Scott
Clementine Scott is cooler. In her view the play betrays its origins as a first work: intriguing threads in the men’s pasts are left loose, and the violent ending turns on a private rivalry more than on politics.
"Still, this is an immensely watchable two-hander, buoyed by Ireland’s ear for pacey dialogue…"
She rates Blaney’s performance above Martin’s, which she finds more one-note, and admires the third-act jump in time and the revolving set that makes it possible.
The Spy in the Stalls
Reviewer: Hannah Bothelton
Hannah Bothelton finds its themes of tribe and manhood still pointed, but wanted the play to press its ideas harder and was not always sure the volume of slurs earned its place.
"Though it could go further in places, it’s still an absorbing watch."
A long scene change stalls the momentum for her, though she praises the precision of the baseball-bat sequences and the controlled force of Martin’s final outburst.
Read Hannah Bothelton’s full review at The Spy in the Stalls
FringeReview
Reviewer: Simon Jenner
Simon Jenner, who also published his notice at View from the Gods, calls the writing filthy-mouthed and very funny, and awards the production FringeReview’s Hidden Gem badge rather than a star rating.
"…this hugely enjoyable dark comedy is over in a blink."
He has praise for every department, from the reversible set to the sudden, shocking fights, and for the evident chemistry between the two actors.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Sam Marlowe, three stars, "Nastily hilarious"), whose review sits behind a registration wall.
For more from the critics, see our roundups of Bull at the Park Theatre and Antigone Exits at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester.
What the Animals Say runs at the Finborough Theatre until Saturday 24 October 2026, following previews on 29 and 30 September. The running time is approximately 70 minutes with no interval.
