National Theatre Live: Prima Facie

I saw this last night as a cinema screening of the live stage performance - my overriding feeling, the following morning is one of awe at the acting talen of Jodie Comer.

Others will write better, fuller reviews of the play, the story, the points it raises, but without giving away any spoilers, I just wanted to say this performance has to be one of the more impressive I've ever seen. 2 hours, almost non stop of Jodie talking to the audience, creating various scenes and characters, taking you on a journey, all whilst standing on a stage with just a few props.

The production is very cleverly done and allows Jodie's character to move between events with elegance and fluidity. It is the perfect platform for Jodie to show her acting talent and range - I am sure many, like I was, will be surprised at just what a strong actress she is - it's the sort of performance you might imagine from the British acting elite like Dame Judy Dench et al, not someone so young. If this is an indication of where she might develop her skills, the sky truly is the limit for Jodie.

Obviously the story covers very important and powerful points and if you watch this and aren't left thinking and discussing with friends and family afterwards, I'll be very srurprised.

It's a shamre that more people won't get to see this performance - I only wish I had been in the actual theatre to see it rather than on screen, as I can only imagine how charged the atmosphere must have been when actually in the room. People applauded at the end even in the cinema - in my experience, in this country, that doesn't happen very often at the cinema - so you can take that as a benchmark for how good this is.

Jodie Comer's talent is preternatural. I don't think the industry is even ready for it 😳. Olivier Award must be pending at this point with Tony Award on the cards and Jodie Comer deserves it all. The play was just as brilliant on the silver screen, the editing and direction for camera on point and I was probably even more stunned this time round. Emotive, visceral, poignant, chastening, fearless, faultless, mesmerising, vivid, vigorous, breathtaking because well Jodie Comer. All stars have aligned with this play; production, set design, music composition, and are revolving around Jodie. The impact it's having, and in particular on the 1 in 3, is profound. It's probably the single most important piece of art produced in theatre for some time. Broadway has no excuse to not to be enamoured with it when it heads there.

I previously mentioned that Jodie Comer may have peaked in Killing Eve and don't see her topping that level of acting. But boy was I wrong. I was stunned by her performance. What she delivers is raw, hurtful and the truth. People said "there are hints of Villanelle", but I saw no V, just smooth seamless acting as Tessa. That's what puts Jodie above others, every character she plays is unique to the character. I never see crossovers with her (unlike most actors).

Jodie is decades ahead of the current acting scene, both screen and stage. I was breathless and genuinely heart clenched for the entire show. It's senseless that she isn't getting more praise for this heart wrenching performance.

Beyond me how she performed this live nearly everyday for 9 weeks. Words cannot express.

You will be impressed. I thought that I would get bored, but the play was well paced, planed and executed. I would love to watch it again, but this time on Broadway.

I had heard it was incredible by people who had seen it live so my expectations were high. Nothing prepared me for what I saw though. Quite simply it was the best performance I have ever seen. Comer is beyond brilliant in this and fills every single second of the play with joy, pain, doubt, guilt, horror. My first reaction after leaving the theatre is - how could she put that much energy into the performance night after night on stage? The effort she put in exhausted us just watching. You will never see a better performance, ever- unless she does something else that tops even this.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.