BIG NAMES, BIG THEMES… BIG CONFUSION

By Tanya Howard | Founder, The Live Review London · @glamglitzlondon ⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

I left My Master Builder wondering if I’d missed something! I was filled with questions without answers, and not in the deep thought-provoking way. More in a “wait, what just happened” kind of way. The kind where you spend the train ride home still debating it, but not necessarily because it moved you. Just because you’re trying to work it out.

Let’s start with what did work: the set. Minimal, sleek, and perfectly pitched to give off ‘prestige architect in the Hamptons’ energy. The shift from day to night happened so subtly I barely clocked it. Which is very much a win in theatre world. And as much as the show didn’t land for me overall, the cast can’t be faulted. Ewan McGregor, Kate Fleetwood, Elizabeth Debicki, every one of them was fully committed to the chaos on stage.

The cast do well with what they’ve got to work with. It’s a strong lineup, no doubt, and the acting itself is solid. But it’s hard to really get pulled in when you’re not rooting for a single character. Everyone felt bitter, manipulative, frustratingly self-absorbed, or just plain exhausting. Morally complex? Sure. Compelling? Not quite. If no one’s learning or growing, what are we actually meant to take from it?

THE EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER WITH NO SEATBELT

The story explores grief, ego, ambition, and infidelity, all meaty themes. Elena’s pain runs deep. She’s grieving her child, sidelined at work, and furious over her husband’s emotional affair with a student. But she’s also cheating herself, manipulative, and lashes out at everyone. I wanted to side with her. Especially with the feminist frustrations around being passed over for promotion. But the script paints her more as the villain than the woman wronged.

Then there’s Mathilde, the student from the past. Her return stirs things up, but even that thread felt emotionally uneven. The intimacy between her and Henry is definitely unsettling. They’re adults now, sure, but the old professor-student power dynamic still hangs over them. And yet, visually it reads the opposite. It’s hard to ignore the physical mismatch on stage. Debicki is incredibly tall and has such a commanding presence that she quite literally looms over McGregor

Also, we have Kaia, who turns out to have betrayed Mathilde. There’s the big reveal… only for it to be brushed over and moments later she’s comforting her. Meanwhile, Eleanor, who’s been flirting with Ragnar all day, calls Kaia a slut for being with him. The emotional logic was all over the place. Characters flipped too fast, and it just felt chaotic.

And the ending? Just… ends. Abrupt. Like “Wait, is that it?” energy. Ambiguity is fine when it’s used well. This just felt like someone forgot to write the last few pages. There’s absolutely a place for plays that leave you with questions, but ideally, those questions feel intentional. Maybe serious plays just aren’t for me. But My Master Builder left me confused, cold, and unsure what I was meant to take away. Great performances, strong design, but an emotional disconnect that never quite got built.

My Master Builder is running at Wyndham’s Theatre until Saturday 12 July.

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Photo Credit: Johan Persson