On a bitterly cold London evening, schoolteacher Kyra Hollis (Carey Mulligan) receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom Sergeant (Bill Nighy), a successful and charismatic restaurateur whose wife has recently died. As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship, only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideologies and mutual desires.
David Hare's Skylight originally premiered at the National Theatre in London in 1995 before going on to play smash hit engagements in the West End and on Broadway the following year. When the 2014 production of Skylight opened in the West End in June it was praised by critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
Mulligan, in a crackling revival of David Hare's 'Skylight' that opened Thursday at the Golden Theater, starts and completes a spaghetti Bolognese during the first act, chopping onions and garlic and boiling water along the way. The whiff of sausage lingers deliciously during intermission. It's a fitting theatrical device because this show, quite simply, cooks. Mulligan, a spectacular Bill Nighy, the marvelous newcomer Matthew Beard and the director Stephen Daldry make alchemy onstage with their own red-hot talent. Funny, poignant and insightful, the West End transfer 'Skylight' is a full meal in a place where appetizers often pass as entrees.
...the three-decade age difference adds interesting layers to Kyra's daddy complex, and Nighy projects such unforced charm and wit that it's easy to imagine him seducing a smart, attractive girl in her twenties. The actor has a peerless way with Hare's caustic dialogue; he's magnetic in sardonic mode, when feigning indifference, in sputtering moments of rage, or letting down his guard to show his creeping desperation...Mulligan is more contained but no less commanding. She's watchful, controlled and wary, almost as if Kyra has played out this encounter many times in her head. And yet she's unable to deny a deep affection for Tom that lingers as undiminished as the hurt. If restless physicality and verbal dexterity are the signature traits of Nighy's performance, it's Mulligan's stillness and emotional transparency, battling with pride and anger, that distinguish her fine work, even navigating some of Hare's speechier passages with naturalness. Daldry has drawn three exquisite performances from his cast, and they lock together both in sharp contrast and in melancholy harmony with one another.
1996 | Broadway |
Broadway |
2014 | West End |
West End Revival West End |
2015 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Carey Mulligan |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Carey Mulligan |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Bill Nighy |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | David Hare |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival Play | Skylight |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Stephen Daldry |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Natasha Katz |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Matthew Beard |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Bill Nighy |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Carey Mulligan |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Una Jackman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott M. Delman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Heni Koenigsberg |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Spring Sirkin |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stuart Thompson |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | True Love Productions |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Araca Group |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Carlos Arana |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | David Mirvish |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Joey Parnes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | John Johnson |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Sue Wagner |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jay Alix |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Catherine Adler |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stephanie P. McClelland |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Shubert Organization |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jon B. Platt |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roy Furman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roger Berlind |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Eli Bush |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott Rudin |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Robert Fox |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Skylight |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Bob Crowley |
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