THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA Reviews

Just...getting an early jump on things?! ;-)

Variety is positive: "Sam Mendes and Jez Butterworth Deliver a Dream of a Broadway Drama" https://variety.com/2024/legit/reviews/the-hills-of-california-review-broadway-sam-mendes-jez-butterworth-1236159482/

Updated On: 9/29/24 at 11:02 PM

Deadline is positive

‘The Hills Of California’ Broadway Review: Jez Butterworth’s Homecoming Tale Of Harmony Long Gone

https://deadline.com/2024/09/hills-of-california-broadway-review-1236100364/

"Is there a more dependable set-up for family drama than the gathering of long-estranged siblings? Last season’s dark and wonderful Appropriate proved there was plenty of life in Pinter’s old Homecoming trick, and this Broadway season Jez Butterworth does it again with the fine The Hills Of California, a superbly performed reckoning with old traumas and those family squabbles that can seem so petty on the surface."

3 stars from NY Post

‘Hills of California’ review: A cutthroat new stage mother on Broadway

https://nypost.com/2024/09/29/entertainment/hills-of-california-review-a-cutthroat-new-stage-mother-on-broadway/

"Butterworth, after all, has no problem with giant changes. His ending is completely different, and leagues better than when I saw the play in London in June. An unneeded, overly complicated shock has been shredded and in its place is a long-awaited, satisfying confrontation that, once again, summoned thoughts of “Gypsy.”"

Theatrely:

THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA Chart a Family’s Act — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/the-hills-of-california-chart-a-familys-act-review

"The best way to enjoy The Hills of California – not that it takes any real effort to do so – is to take it as a long yarn that unfolds across its own soapy, extended timeline. Jez Butterworth’s latest play, directed by Sam Mendes and imported from a London run earlier this year, is never less than compelling, well-executed and performed. But the slightness of its core that’s far from insurmountable, but can incur a modest wince once revealed, about two-thirds of the way into its two-hour-forty-five runtime."

Observer

Review: Long, Bumpy Ride to Sisterly Reconciliation Over ‘The Hills of California’

An excellent cast and direction from Sam Mendes keep the action driving in this nearly three hour family drama from playwright Jez Butterworth.

https://observer.com/2024/09/review-long-bumpy-ride-to-sisterly-reconciliation-over-the-hills-of-california/

Washington Post

When mom dies and the truth spills out

Jez Butterworth’s new play, ‘The Hills of California,’ tells a familiar story of showbiz ambitions and sibling rivalries.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2024/09/29/hills-of-california-broadway-review/

"But much of what Butterworth explores in “The Hills of California” has been done elsewhere and often, including showbiz moms from hell (“Gypsy”), four spirited sisters who grow up and apart (“Little Women”), sibling rivalries that flare over an absent or dying parent (“August: Osage County”; “His Three Daughters,” now streaming on Netflix), even a wayward artist returning home after his mother’s death (Kenneth Lonergan’s “Hold on to Me Darling,” now playing off-Broadway with Adam Driver).

That’s not to say that family dynamics like these aren’t worth further examination, or that Butterworth’s take on them isn’t artfully done. But almost nothing about it feels original."

Theatermania:

Review: Four Sisters and the Secret That Destroyed a Family in The Hills of California

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-four-sisters-and-the-secret-that-destroyed-a-family-in-the-hills-of-california_1751568/

"To their credit, both Butterworth and Mendes have done excellent work sharpening the material for Broadway. Trimming the running time by 15 minutes and putting less emphasis on some of the supporting roles has made a world of difference in terms of pacing (though there are still at least two characters that could be cut). More essentially, a nearly complete overhaul of the third act has not only deepened the arcs for all four sisters, but clarified the story that Butterworth is telling: how one person’s trauma and survival effects everyone in their orbit."

The Wrap (a spoiler for a plot change/revision)

‘The Hills of California’ Broadway Review: Jez Butterworth Delivers Another Modern Classic

Sam Mendes directs and Laura Donnelly dazzles

https://www.thewrap.com/the-hills-of-california-broadway-review-jez-butterworth-sam-mendes/

even when i disagree with holdren, she always makes points/observations that make me rethink, a true critical gem.

DTLI Consensus: Unleashing the first of two domineering stage mothers on the same sidewalk this season, Jez Butterworth delivers another highly effective family drama.

10 positive (including the NYT), 2 mixed, 2 negative.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/the-hills-of-california/#google_vignette