REVIEW: THE ARGUMENT @ BARONS COURT THEATRE

🎭 The Argument

📍 Barons Court Theatre, 28a Comeragh Road, London, W14 9HR 

🗓 Friday 11th April 2025

⭐️

AMBITIOUS, BUT MISSED THE MARK

I was very intrigued to see THE ARGUMENT. Promising a bold, unscripted exchange between performers and audience, the show billed itself as a “serious experiment” in breaking down the boundaries of traditional theatre. I therefore expected spontaneity, real-time improvisation and clever, instinctual replies on the part of the main duo, George Abbott and Alfie Lanham-Brown. But the play turned out to be very different and it’s fair to say, it didn’t live up to my expectations – or the expectation it seems to set itself in the write-up, for that matter. 

The play began energetically, with the duo opening the floor to the audience, asking us to suggest topics for debate. The options that floated around included self-checkouts, stealing from Greggs, and more abstract ideas such as artificial intelligence and the future of theatre. The latter were settled on, leading the main duo to ask questions and invite opinions about these topics. In the second part, we were even asked to turn to the person next to us and discuss AI for two minutes – in a way that reminded me of being back at school. 

At the very start, this approach felt playful and open-ended. But I couldn’t shake the sense that something wasn’t quite as free-form as it seemed. As the show progressed, I started to question how much control the audience really had — and whether the interactivity was as authentic as promised. For a show that claimed to thrive on live input, the path it took began to feel oddly predetermined. 

It was from that point that the performance began to unravel for me. And not to give too much away, but the more it went on, the more the stated intention of the play became lost. So much so, that I found myself being quite frustrated and baffled about where it ended up at the end. I guess this may have been the writers’ intention – to evoke the sense of frustration one feels in a real argument. And if this was the case then I suppose it hit the mark. But I do think there are other, more profound and clever ways to encourage certain feelings or convey messages through theatre.

There was also a curious moment at the start that added to my unease. Each audience member was handed a bright blue bubblegum drink. I tried to decline — as this sort of drink is not my thing — but felt gently pressured to take part. Given the pressure, I thought it would have some sort of significance and would become relevant in the play’s narrative later on. But it never paid off and therefore felt irrelevant and unnecessary. 

I’m always open to experimental theatre — even work that’s challenging and uncomfortable. But I left THE ARGUMENT feeling a bit like the butt of a bad joke. I’ve been racking my brains over the weekend to try and unpick what the duo were trying to do and to question my initial disappointment, but sadly haven’t come up with anything. I’m still left feeling that the show fell flat and didn’t live up to its intention. I hate to give a one-star review, but I unfortunately just really didn’t enjoy this one. 

Estelle Luck

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of The Argument was gifted by Spare the Rod who invited me to watch the show on behalf of Pink Prince Theatre in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.