Dragon Review: Tristan and Yseult – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Published on: 7 Oct, 2026
Updated on: 7 Oct, 2026

Nandi Bhebhe as Yseult and John Leader as Tristan.

By Martin Giles

The agony and ecstasy of love is an age old theme but it can rarely have been portrayed so raucously, so joyously, and yet so heartbreakingly as in this modern adaptation of the legendary Celtic tale of Tristan and Yseult.

Tristan, a prince from Brittany, meets and falls in love with Irish Princess Yseult but she is destined to marry the Cornish King Mark, who soon falls for her charms. Yseult loves them both, so that’s tricky.

King Mark (Edward Rowe) falling in love with Yseult.

A multi-talented cast, all able to sing, dance and play instruments, combine acting, music, circus skills, comedy and farce to bring the story of a three-way love affair alight, engaging the audience from the moment they enter the auditorium to take their seats.

Stephanie Hockley as Whitehands sings in the The Club of the Unloved

One of the songs sung in cabaret style in the “Club of the Unloved” is the Everly Brothers’ Love Hurts. It gives a big clue about what is to come.

Perhaps I should resist picking out individual players as they are all excellent, but I can’t help giving mention to Nandi Bhebhe, who plays Yseult. She gives an excellent portrayal of a sensuous woman with natural and dangerous powers of seduction.

And Tom Fox as Branigan, sometimes comic and sometimes narrator, is a highly talented lynchpin of the play.

The pace is unrelenting, eventually leading to a tragic climax, operatic in its style and emotional power.

There is a strong physical attraction between Yseult and Tristan,

This version of the story was first created in 2003, when it is said to have taken the theatrical world by storm and was described as “one of the most influential theatre productions of the 21st century”.

Adapted and directed by Emma Rice, the show has returned to the UK for the first time in ten years.

She says: “There is no one who doesn’t recognise something in this story: what it is to love someone that you shouldn’t, to betray someone you love, to be left and, most painful of all, to be unloved. Its beauty is agonising; its power, undeniable.”

I can’t improve on that, and I cannot remember enjoying a night at the theatre so much. The performance will leave a deep impression and the standing ovation, given by the younger-than-average audience, was very well-deserved.

Please, please don’t miss the chance to see it.

The play is on tour until April 2027 and is running at the Yvonne Arnaud until Saturday, October 10, 2026 (click here to book).