"[4] Henry Hitchings in the London Evening Standard described Lustgarten as "a fierce writer whose activism blends intellectual curiosity and idealism", but observed that "the urgent arguments ... aren’t melded into a cogent drama.
"[5] In the Financial Times, Griselda Murray Brown wrote that "Characterisation is sketchy, as if secondary to the play’s polemic content, leaving us with types: fat-cat financier, hippy activist, over-skilled immigrant worker" and "The play is packed with witty lines and topical references ... but what it lacks is drama".
Lustgarten may still blossom into a provocateur of substance, but he’s slightly fluffed this big break, with a wonky, underwritten play that loses persuasiveness the minute it slows down.
It moves between 1606 Naples and 2016 Bootle, Merseyside and explores a number of socioeconomic issues, such as the housing crisis sweeping across the UK.
[10] Alongside his writing, Lustgarten works as a political activist across the world, focusing on the actions of multinational corporations in developing countries.