The Hills of California review: 'ambitious, substantial and intriguing' play
Jez Butterworth's 'ambitions are as large as ever', but does the play compare to his previous works?
"A new Jez Butterworth play is a big deal," said Alice Saville in The Independent. His "era-defining" drama Jerusalem (2009), and his award-winning Irish epic The Ferryman (2017), have made him the most venerated British playwright of his generation. So is The Hills of California another triumph on that scale? Alas, not quite. Like those plays, it has a "hefty running time, sprawling cast and, most of all, massive emotions sploshing messily across the stage". But this new piece – a family drama set in a guesthouse in Blackpool in the baking summer of 1976 – lacks the "pace and tautness" of Butterworth's best work. It's an ambitious, substantial and intriguing play. But it's not a great one.
I found it "magnificent, moving and quietly furious", said Sarah Hemming in the FT. It crackles with the same "terrific, sharp humour" as Butterworth's previous triumphs, and simmers with "love, rage and loss". At the Sea View guesthouse – misnamed and forlorn – the Webb sisters gather as their actress-turned- landlady mother, Veronica, lies dying upstairs. The eldest, Joan, left for California 20 years ago, and hasn't been back since. Later, in flashback scenes, we learn that Veronica had tried to groom her daughters into an Andrews Sisters-style singing group. This is a "funny, brilliantly layered drama about lost dreams, trampled hopes, parenting and letting go" – all cut with anger at the "bleak truth" of childhood abuse.
The evening is staged with characteristic elegance by Sam Mendes, and is wonderfully acted, said Dominic Maxwell in The Sunday Times. Laura Donnelly in particular dazzles in her twin roles as Veronica and Joan. But the play suffers from Butterworth's decision to "tackle trauma, grief and sexual and emotional abuse by circling round the edges of them, rather than really getting stuck in". I felt that the "overbearing plot" rather flattened both the characterisation and the play's emotional reach, said Arifa Akbar in The Guardian. Butterworth's ambitions are as grand and daring as ever. But the "gorgeous set, dominated by a beautiful staircase, has heights and depths that the play itself does not reach".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Harold Pinter Theatre, London SW1 (0844-871 7622). Until 15 June Running time: 3hrs ★★★★
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Crossword: October 27, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
6 well-crafted log homesFeature Featuring a floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace in Montana and a Tulikivi stove in New York
-
Film reviews: A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball
-
Rachel Ruysch: Nature Into ArtFeature Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through Dec. 7
-
Music reviews: Olivia Dean, Madi Diaz, and Hannah FrancesFeature “The Art of Loving,” “Fatal Optimist,” and “Nested in Tangles”
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Ready for the apocalypseFeature As anxiety rises about the state of the world, the ranks of preppers are growing—and changing.