Paul Mescal found fame when he starred in the 2020 Hulu adaptation of Normal People, the novel by Sally Rooney. His raw and emotional portrayal of Connell, one of the series protagonists, earned him much acclaim in the series' wake,

Beauty, in Miller’s sense, is not on Frecknall’s menu. Blanche’s costumes (by Merle Hensel) make no pretense of prettiness, just as the staging leaves her no dignity. The lighting (by Lee Curran) is harsh and the sound (by Peter Rice) harsher. The drums obscure some of the dialogue.