Royal Court - Caryl Churchill: Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp.

I finally saw this on Monday, and absolutely loved it. (And then came back home and - also finally - read Steve's fantastic comments about it, because I was terrified of unintentional spoilers prior to seeing it, and have been eyeing that post for too long but was afraid to read it.)

[There might be some indirect spoilers below.]

Kill is the absolute highlight for me. Not only because it is simply amazingly written - I bought a copy of the text and cannot stop going through it; the opening few lines summarise so beautifully my feelings towards the irrationality of our need to believe in something and hold on to it, so often simply to justify the wrongs of our doings - but also because I absolutely loved how it was performed. Saying that Mothersdale's performance was quite divine seems an aptly horrible pun (please forgive me for that ), but I am honestly convinced he would have no problem making an ingredients label (to borrow an idea from Imp) sound exciting and smart and humorous if someone gave it to him to read on stage.

The other plays got better and better one after the other.

Glass was lovely, but I didn't feel it was elaborate enough, like it was put out before it fully developed. But the young cast did a lovely job of performing it.
Bluebeard's Friends was both funny and uncomfortable because it was so relatable, with Churchill introducing plenty of elements of contemporary society and life into the mix. The discussions revolving around the question if the women married for the castle and what the surviving bride will do with it now - were both funny and tragical to hear, because they hit the nail on the head in terms of how society still thinks and talks about women. (There's always that hint of the question if whatever bad happens is - at least a tiny bit - their own fault. Could it be that the women married for the wealth, purposefully oblivious to his flaws?) The discussions about the sister in law and the media and the possible business venture based on the dresses were just as superb.   
Imp - aside from what Steve already wrote which described it so perfectly that I literally have nothing to add - was also incredibly heartwarming and endearing.

Overall, the more I think about it, the more amazing I am finding Churchill's writing. And I have the feeling that I'll just keep discovering more and more brilliant things in it in days to come since I can't let go of it.
My impression was that Churchill wanted to hold a mirror to us and let us see ourselves today, reflected in the same stories, beliefs and narratives we have been telling (ourselves) for years and years, centuries and centuries, having learned nothing (or very little) in the process. Perhaps I am wrong.
But she also does this (particularly in Imp) in a way that is humorous and full of exchanges that are gentle and kind and wonderful and contradict everything that is wrong with the world.
You're not fixing me.
You're not broken.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention, and that would really be unfair, is the cast. I enjoyed every single performance, but Mothersdale and Jones were the absolute standouts for me. 

I hate ranking the things I see in any particular order, but this is definitely among the theatre highlights of my year.
Seeing it again this Saturday, and am really looking forward to it.

Yep. Five stars in The Stage and Evening standard. Four from the Guardian and a surprisingly well constructed review I thought.

I saw this yesterday afternoon and while ( as usual with Ms Churchill) I found some of the writing elusive - I was never bored and more often than not intrigued by what I was watching. Meticulously directed and designed, I think it will prove to be one of the theatrical highlights of the year. And isn't tit thrilling that at 81 Ms Churchill is still experimenting and challenging audiences, rather than resting on her laurels and going from revival to revival of her work.

Not rehearsed or scripted as it didn't happen when I saw it on the final preview before press night. Unless of course they were trying different things still.

Glad this was so well reviewed. I thought it was a fantastic evening.

No dropping when I saw it, but I think the second circus act exited prematurely as her act was substantially shorter than the juggler and was followed by about five minutes of staring at an empty stage.

The Juggler didn't drop them at my performance. She was great.

Loved this. Enjoyed the mesmerising entertainments between the pieces...I could have watched the patterns that juggler made all day! I also liked the plays. Wasn’t the set great? Imaginative and minimalistic all in one. Great lighting. And beautiful acting....in the last piece you had to really believe in the characters or the whole piece would have seemed daft and they completely nailed it. I cannot imagine that this could have been done better by other actors. Atmospheric and intriguing. So glad I went to see it.
Was also amused talking to another audience member afterwards that they had not got a single one of the literary references but still loved it, so this works on many levels...when I started watching theatre 10 or so years ago I wouldn’t have either! Churchill at her most playful. Difficult to chose a favourite, they are all quite different and the sum of the whole is lovely!

Yes, quite close - I was A15 so further to the left than you were. Only annoying people were the older couple at the end of my row who kept chatting during the scene changes in "Imp"!

I do enjoy lurking in the Royal Court bar after the evening performance when the cast wander in!

Looking forward to seeing this programme in a few days. I've not always understood Caryl Churchill plays, though have enjoyed a number of them, so hope I can understand and appreciate these.

Blimey. You're just wearing a slip when you go to the theatre?! Doesn't seem like suitable attire. Are you not cold?

I really liked this! Probably the most interesting work from Churchill I have seen (I haven't seen much of hers though). I would struggle to pick a favourite among the four short plays but they work really well together. As usual Deborah Findlay is amazing.