Pressure Majeure
Donmar Warehouse, London Till February 5, 2hrs 30mins
Ranking: 
Was Ruben Östlund’s movie Pressure Majeure – a wincingly painful household comedy drama, set in a ski resort – actually crying out to be tailored for the stage? It was not.
Jon Bausor’s design is intelligent, a steep white sloping stage {that a} refrain of skiers do truly zip throughout – however which additionally suggests how a household’s dynamic goes askew after the daddy, Tomas, runs away from a perceived avalanche relatively than making an attempt to save lots of his spouse and youngsters.
That disaster second is surprisingly thrillingly realised with the biggest, loudest cloud of stage smoke I’ve ever been caught in.
Lyndsey Marshal (above) is clenched to her again enamel as Ebba, the harried mom whose husband works an excessive amount of and helps too little
However the raked stage should be a nightmare for the actors to carry out on, and you may by no means fairly see previous their efforts. Plus there’s simply no getting spherical it: pretending to ski onstage seems naff, and it’s nigh-on unimaginable to convey the majesty of the Alps within the Donmar’s bijou house.
But Pressure Majeure nonetheless makes for a completely fulfilling night’s cringe. Lyndsey Marshal is clenched to her again enamel as Ebba, the harried mom whose husband works an excessive amount of and helps too little.
Their good household vacation is mired in shouting matches with sullen youngsters, even earlier than the avalanche. Afterwards, in a sequence of excruciating fights, Ebba humiliates Tomas for cowardice.
Rory Kinnear is, as ever, fully watchable, however maybe provides a relatively too sympathetic portrayal of Tomas. Ebba is already on the finish of her tether when the story begins – but Kinnear’s Tomas appears extra wistfully unhappy than selfishly neglectful or boastful.
However total, Michael Longhurst’s manufacturing is a pleasure to look at, even when it makes a really unhealthy advert for snowboarding holidays – and marriage.