Following their triumphant production of The Ferryman, Tony®-winning Playwright Jez Butterworth and Oscar and Tony-winning Director Sam Mendes reunite for The Hills of California.
In the sweltering heat of a 1970s summer, the Webb sisters return to their childhood home in Blackpool, an English seaside town, where their mother Veronica lies dying upstairs. Gloria and Ruby now have families of their own. Jill never left. And Joan? No one’s heard from her in twenty years… but Jill insists that their mother’s favorite won’t let them down this time.
The run-down Sea View Guest House is haunted by bittersweet memories of amusement park rides and overdue bills. Back in the 1950s, each night the girls rehearse their singing act, managed by their fiercely loving single mom. But when a record producer offers a shot at fame and a chance to escape, it will cost them all dearly.
The play has been reportedly significantly rewritten since its London West End run, but it is still just over three hours, and unlike the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Butterworth’s memorable, deservedly award-winning plays (Jerusalem, The Ferryman), The Hills of California is a sludgy drag in which not enough happens, and not enough familial depth and grit examined, to merit such a long performance. If one had a brutal red pen in hand, the first act could be scythed completely; the play would rattle along better at just under two hours.
Of the large cast, it’s necessary to stress the quality performances of all concerned. First by length and commitment to her goal is Donnelly, who tackles the potent role with both hands clenched. (She also serves eerily in another crucial bit.) Those playing the 1976 and 1955 Webbs are unfailingly strong, Lovibond possessing maybe the best pipes. Other standouts among the full ensemble standouts are Ta-Rea Campbell as seen-it-all nurse Penny, Barnes as shrewd manager St. John, Richard Lumsden as in-house piano accompanist Joe Fogg, and Bryan Dick as both Dennis and wise-cracking Jack Larkin.
| 2024 | West End |
West End |
| 2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Laura Donnelly |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play | Rob Howell |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Rob Howell |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Sam Mendes |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Laura Donnelly |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Natasha Chivers |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | The Hills of California |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design | Rob Howell |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Rob Howell |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Sam Mendes |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Natasha Chivers |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Laura Donnelly |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Rob Howell |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Nick Powell |
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