High Noon: The Play – Thursday 1st January 2026

This is a West End show with a well known cast that includes Billy Cudrup, Denise Gough, Rosa Salazar and London’s very own Lorena Andrea; so it’s definitely a premium experience. It’s also based on a film (which I’ve never seen), a trend I’m not a huge fan of, but one that seems to dominate ‘Theatre Land’ (why can’t we have ‘original’ productions anymore??).

The show itself is very good, and the cast are great. It’s not a ‘downer’ like so many other plays at the moment, and is thoroughly entertaining. The ‘ticking clock’ is very effective, and really keeps the show moving. It’s mostly an examination of character, giving us an insight into the protagonist, not so much through his actions, but in the way the rest of the characters seem to idolise him; it might have been better to actually ‘show and not tell’, but then the show would probably be twice as long!

I also thought the character of the wife was very whiny and annoying; she marries a man whose job relies on the gun, but she can’t stand guns. Typical.

There’s enough drama to keep the audience engaged, so I really didn’t think it was necessary for there to be songs, let alone a score to pronounce the dramatic moments! That really felt heavy-handed to me, as though the audience was being prodded, when the actions on stage were more than enough to relay moments of tension.

I felt like they were ‘dumbing down’ the play, to make it more digestible for an audience that may lack sophistication. Unfortunately, they may be right, as the young people sat behind me didn’t stop whispering to one another throughout the show! Anyway.

It’s a good show, and definitely worth seeing.