America the Beautiful: Chapter 1 review – Neil LaBute’s sour state of the union address

2026-03-12 - 08:12

King’s Head theatre, London Masculinity is not in a good way in this trio of short plays – the first of 10 presented in two venues – which deal in violence, misanthropy and murder Neil LaBute does not appear to have much hope for humanity. It is not just that the US playwright’s characters in this trio of short plays are cruel and uncaring, but that their total lack of remorse flattens the interest of their stories. LaBute is pinned as a provocateur, but his trilogy doesn’t feel risky so much as misanthropically sour. Best known for In the Company of Men and The Shape of Things, LaBute has 10 plays presented in three chapters in America the Beautiful, a split-venue UK premiere staged between the King’s Head and Greenwich theatre. America the Beautiful: Chapter 1 is at King’s Head theatre, London, until 14 March. Chapter 2 is at King’s Head, 16-21 March. Chapter 3 is at Greenwich theatre, London, 31 March-4 April. Continue reading...