About the Show

Mike Bartlett's new play directed by James Macdonald, featuring a cast led by top UK talent.

Lip and Ruth have abandoned city life for a quiet existence on a remote farm, seeking a more intentional, principled way of living. But their fragile new world is disrupted when Ruth’s stepdaughter and her bold, unpredictable friend arrive from the city. What begins as a generational visit quickly escalates into a confrontation of values, as each character stakes a claim on the future—both their own and the farm’s. Tensions rise and loyalties fracture in this intimate domestic setting, where high ideals clash with real-world complications.

Juniper Blood is the latest work from Mike Bartlett, acclaimed for King Charles III and Cock, and continues his exploration of personal and political conflict in modern life. The production is helmed by James Macdonald, whose recent credits include A German Life (West End) and The Welkin (National Theatre). The play features a cast of leading stage actors under Macdonald’s direction, bringing Bartlett’s sharp, character-driven writing to life.

Critic Reviews (10)

“There are keen observations here and sharply witty lines, but rather than developing the characters’ inner lives, Bartlett drops clunking explanations into the text.”
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"Mike Bartlett attempts a discussion about ecological radicalisation in a cynical, bleak play that offers a variety of non-solutions."
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“Despite its flaws, Juniper Blood, arriving at the end of what looks set to be the hottest summer on record, feels fiercely timely.”
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“There are plenty of zingers like this alongside Bartlett’s big intellectual swings, but the play itself feels thin and undercooked, the plot twists and emotional revelations unearned.”
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“It has the feeling of being ancient myth and a report from the front line. It is utterly absorbing.”
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“Despite its lecturing and trowel-load of ideas, it is compelling and ambitious, Chekhovian in glimmers. Bartlett masterfully weds levity through social satire with complexity and depth of subject matter.”
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“Static, effortful and irredeemably verbose, it pits its dislikable characters against one another in a series of overworked debates.”
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“Juniper Blood is issue-driven to a fault…its fixation on ideology comes at the expense of character and story, resulting in a piece that feels more like a lecture than a drama.”
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