“This isn’t a show with an easy elevator pitch, but watch it and its appeal is obvious. […] Maxwell’s got a suave, appealingly old-fashioned performance style, masking this story’s emotional sharp edges with jokes and showmanship. But eventually, her mask slips. This show is about so many things — caring for an elderly relative, infatuation, addiction — but ultimately it’s about one thing, which is learning to see patterns in your own behaviour, and beginning the painstaking work of unravelling them.”
“A true masterclass in storytelling. Hannah Maxwell’s one-woman show is both endearingly funny and cripplingly sad. […] Maxwell is an absolute pleasure to watch: she has a way of filling the room and a gentle cheekiness […] Her storytelling is stirringly evocative but, despite the mundane subject matter, never dull. […] It’s delivered with such a bite that you’ll be thinking about it for days – a truly incredible hour that takes you by surprise and doesn’t let go.”
“WHAT a wonderful way to spend an hour at the Fringe […] Hannah Maxwell’s solo production is amusing, belly achingly funny at times, with a poignancy towards the end that leaves the audience sad for her. […] The script is brilliantly written and Hannah Maxwell is stunning on stage. There is that old quote that some actors can fill a stage. Well, Maxwell could stand on the stage of the Old Vic and fill the stage with her presence, the auditorium too. She really is that good. This is an outstanding production, beautiful, funny and sad. Get tickets is my advice. You won’t be disappointed I guarantee you.”
“Hannah Maxwell is such a likeable performer that you are on her side throughout the ups and downs of the show. She avoids the pitfalls of being mawkish or melodramatic and tells the story in a totally believable and relatable way. In lesser hands the storyline could have been bleak but there is so much fun in the telling with the perfect ending that you do leave the venue feeling that you have just seen something life-affirming. I absolutely loved the show and highly recommend it to anyone who likes top quality storytelling and performance. You will laugh, you will cry. You will be glad you are alive.”
“Hilarious and very poignant one person show […] Maxwell’s show is superbly comedic, and there’s a very natural rapport with the audience […] What starts as a love letter to Eurovision becomes a love letter to oneself. Hannah Maxwell and Nan, Me and Barbara Pravi triumphs in this contest scoring douze points across the board.”
“Maxwell stages an often sweet, sometimes tragic, and always side-splittingly funny meditation on points of crisis across both life and death. Comparisons to Fleabag are perhaps inevitable, both because of the sharpness of Maxwell’s writing and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s now infamous attendance of the show, but Nan, Me & Barbara Pravi is a slightly different animal - more chaotic, more precise, and unafraid of its own absurdity. […] It’s all so delightful and clever, deploying and subverting various generic conventions […] to consider how confessional theatre can not only develop but transcend the rigidity of the monologue form.”
“A show about care, crisis and the Eurovision song contest might sound like an odd mash-up of themes, but this is Maxwell’s forte. She turns a wry, Gen Z eye to serious subjects, wrapped up in a relatable and entertaining narrative. A warm-hearted, insightful and inspirational exploration of the need to care – for others, and for ourselves – in these crisis-ridden times. With jokes.”
“Celebrity endorsement fully justified in a piece that times its revelations to perfection […] Maxwell’s writing is electric, witty and charmingly delivered, efficiently bringing audiences into the intricacies of her character’s daily life while withholding just the right amount of information to be chaotically revealed later. The script is laden with jokes and silliness, but tender moments are expertly handled, while audience participation and slick use of projector screens to visualise surreal episodes all contribute to the show’s overall genius.”
“Hannah Maxwell’s solo show is delivered with verve and endearing bravery. […] Maxwell has a bracing, always sharply entertaining turn of phrase and a irresistible presence. […] Maxwell embarks on a mission to meet the object of her desire and sets about it with a precision that suggests that theatre’s gain is MI5’s loss.”
“If there’s one word that could be used to describe Maxwell’s performances, it’s probably verve. There’s a bone-deep showmanship to her performance that never drops away […] A major strength of this production is how polished it is without sacrificing vulnerability. It manages to have moments of bruised self-reflection and pure, unabashed comedic performance, and both feel perfectly in place. […] This is a rich and bright character study shot through with both humour and sadness. Consider me a fan.”
“Productions like these are extremely hard to come by. It’s nebulous – that thing whereby someone does or says enough, but not too much. It’s enough to evoke an emotional reaction but not overdo it to the extent it becomes saccharine. But Hannah Maxwell nailed it. And in the words of Barbara Pravi: Voilà.”
“General Lee played by Hannah Maxwell is another perfect counterpart. Ridiculously over the top, they have the audience in stitches every single time they grace the stage.”
— Christine Stanton, THE REVIEWS HUB
“Hannah Maxwell plays the army general with warmth and immaculate comic timing”
“Hannah Maxwell is a future star and deserves full houses. She is an outstanding funny woman, a Generation Z Caroline Aherne!”
“Deceptively simple, beautifully constructed and delivered with real skill.”
— ☆☆☆☆☆ The Adelaide Advertiser
“Theatre-maker Hannah Maxwell delves deep into her family’s passion for amateur dramatics in this joyful, perceptive solo show […] I, AmDram is cleverly written and full of deadpan humour […] The show is so finely pitched that she sends up some aspects of am dram mercilessly […] yet never loses her respect for those who give it their heart and soul. […] This is an honest, compassionate and often very funny look at how to break free from your roots, while still celebrating what they’ve given you.”
“Surprising and uplifting story about how an amateur dramatics society helped shape one young woman […] I, AmDram is Hannah Maxwell's very touching story about how she fits into her family heritage as a millennial lesbian. […] I, AmDram is also a romp through the show tunes of yesteryear and Hannah's ingenious move is staging a show with both contemporary and classic music, which has been designed to cleverly appeal to audiences that like show tunes, and young millennial audiences too. […] This is a heartfelt and deeply moving tribute to the power of theatre to unite generations of one family, despite their differences.”
“Very smart little show about legacy, lineage, coming out and going home. […] Very nicely put together, very engaging and layered.”
“Hannah Maxwell has a rare and instant likeability.”
“I almost lose my goddamn mind laughing […] She plays out her family’s voices, discussions and arguments using different riffs on the piano, in a super-tight piece of dramaturgy which I’m transfixed by. […] I, AmDram is a hilarious ode to the institution of AmDram, to passion and to families, both biological and forged in fire and folk art.”
“An engrossing story, and one that is delivered with great sensitivity and skill.”
"A pitch-perfect confessional show […] The one-hour show was pure joy and I could easily have enjoyed another sixty minutes in her company. Her script and performance were deftly balanced between painful nostalgia and family pride. At its root was a journey – both physical and emotional. Maxwell took us on the train ride from London KX to Welwyn and each stop provided a kind of scenic break in the narrative. An inspired idea. […] Maxwell packed her hour with hilarious impersonations of her AmDram past and moments of pure theatre. […] It was all choreographed with pinpoint accuracy; there were laugh out loud moments but also many with thoughtful insights. Admire or hate Amdram, you will love this show. "
— Mike Levy, The Cambridge Critque
“This is sublime, one-person theatre made all the more enjoyable due to Maxwell’s comic delivery and winks to the audience.”