Though I don’t doubt middle class addiction is a real issue, this play and its characters don’t seem in the slightest bit believable.
TV presenter Lucy is on the slippery slope of addiction watched but her surprisingly sympathetic mother Barbara, who herself shows signs of alcoholism. There is a sister, though it’s not clear why her character is there at all. All of the men are played by the same actor – and your point is?
This is all played out as ‘designer theatre’ on a slick revolve that takes us relentlessly from one location to another and one room to the next (designer Peter McKintosh). Lucy and her mother are deeply unsympathetic characters who just whine on and on in an enormously irritating way; if they had seemed more real I would have wanted to get out of my seat, give them a slap and tell them to get a grip. For some reason – writing (David Eldridge) and direction (Michael Attenborough), I suppose – normally fine actors like Lisa Dillon and Margot Leicester provide us with flat cardboard characterisations.
I’m sure it improved in the second half – they often do! – but I just couldn’t face another 70 minutes of this implausible story full of unbelievable characters. I can’t help but contrast this example of a poor new play with Mogadishu, a great new play at the Lyric Hammersmith. This one’s a premiere league dud.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
I preferred the first half to the second half. The first half was fast paced and could be enjoyed purely as a dramatic piece however. Will be interested to see what you thought of the second half.
You’ll never find out what I thought of the second half, I’m afraid. Having walked out at the interval I have absolutely no intention of returning to see it!
I probably enjoyed it slightly more than you, then. However, I somewhat bewildered by the newspaper reviews of this play. They’re all raving about it, with the Telegraph giving it 5 stars!
Saw this play tonight. Wanted to walk out during interval, several people did, but decided to stick out the second half. It didn’t get any better. Still the same melodrama; awkward, pretentious, on-the-nose dialogue, actors talking AT each other. Main actress played the same whiny sing-song note the whole way through, no character progression at all, and the end when she moved to South Africa to ‘start a new life’ was pretentious twaddle. It enrages me the critics praised this show so much, you can’t trust the reviewers.
Thanks for the confirmation that I made the right decision to leave at the interval! I too am completely puzzled by the critics. So many fellow bloggers feel the same that we’ve formed ‘The Knot Haters’. Welcome to honorary membership!