“ Jamie Vartan’s amazing design stretches back almost as far as the eye can see, with concrete platforms, piles of junk, countless reel-to-reel tape recorders and illuminated crucifixes........the idea of a one-man show on the vast Lyttelton stage might seem hubristic, but the sheer scale of this production plays a big part in the show’s often stunning impact. Thomas Magill, a small-town, mother-fixated man in his thirties with a big thing about God, has taken refuge in a vast, disused semi-derelict industrial space for reasons we don’t learn until the end of this 90-minute play.”

“.....it is given a monumental staging. Jamie Vartan's exposed two-storey set is a vast warehouse strewn with tyres and cast-off furniture. Murphy tears through this bleak space, playing a cast of increasingly hostile small-town characters.”

“The National’s Lyttelton stage is an immense performing area and Cillian Murphy isn’t the most physically imposing actor. Yet his bravura one-man turn in Enda Walsh’s odd and unsettling account of a disturbed Irish loner sees him fill the space with the wattage of a cast of dozens, as he runs and jumps about the imposing split-level set.
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“ In Jamie Vartan’s looming and unsettling set, he appears to have customised a disused warehouse with props to see him through his story. On old-fashioned reel-to-reel tape-recorders, various voices and sound effects from his life pop up at the touch of a button.”

“ Designer Jamie Vartan’s bullish, physically overbearing set (a deserted warehouse) seems to emerge from the walls of the Black Box in perhaps one of the best uses of the space in this theatre’s history. Possibly a depiction of Thomas’ warped brain, vast steel joists tower over the audience as they grow from a stained concrete floor. It is a chamber for violence, confusion, histrionics and effects of almost Christopher Nolan-esque proportions.....this production of Misterman is a celebration of technical skill, luscious writing, extravagant acting and high production values. What are Arts Festivals good for? Finding ways to match-make an interesting script to a fine actor, aided by virtuosic technical crew. A summer blockbuster is born. It happens here. ”