Lily Collins is supported by husband Charlie McDowell following her latest performance in West End play Barcelona - after the show failed to impress critics

By GERAINT LLEWELLYN FOR MAILONLINE

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Lily Collins was supported by husband Charlie McDowell as she left London's Duke Of York's Theatre following her latest performance in play Barcelona on Thursday.

The Emily In Paris star, 35, who made her West End debut in the show, wrapped up warm in an oversized teddy bear coat and scarf as she stopped to sign autographs.

Still sporting her glam stage make-up Lily also wore a grey baseball cap and appeared to be in great spirits as she flashed a huge smile.

Meanwhile film director Charlie, 41, who wed the actress in 2021, wore a padded orange jacket and knitted beanie as he carried his beloved wife's bags.

The play, which stars Emily as a woman who embarks on a one night stand during a hen night in the Catalonian capital, has so far failed to impress critics - with The Independent quipping 'Emily should have stayed in Paris'. 

Lily Collins, 35 was supported by husband Charlie McDowell, 41, as she left London's Duke Of York's Theatre following her latest performance in West End play Barcelona on Thursday

Lily Collins, 35 was supported by husband Charlie McDowell, 41, as she left London's Duke Of York's Theatre following her latest performance in West End play Barcelona on Thursday

The Emily In Paris star, who made her West End debut in the show, stopped to sign autographs

The Emily In Paris star, who made her West End debut in the show, stopped to sign autographs

Annabel Nugent wrote of the two hander, in which she stars opposite Money Heist's Alvaro Morte: 'The star of Emily in Paris makes her West End debut in a play about another American abroad – but its contrived plot means that this story of two unhappy strangers fails to make an emotional impact'.

While Tom Wicker said in his two review in the The Stage: 'Lily Collins of Emily in Paris makes her West End debut in this contrived, cliché-littered play'. 

Meanwhile The Guardian's Chris Wiegand, who also gave two stars, branded the play 'awkward' and 'curiously flat'.

Lily and Álvaro are starring in the West End show for 12 weeks until January 11, 2025.

Before she made her debut in the play last month, Lily told the Telegraph: 'I think one of the first things I said to you [Álvaro] was, "OK, I just want to be very honest, I’ve never done this. 

"I’m so excited, but I’m also terrified – in the best way – and I want you to know that there are going to be moments when I’m stressed, I’m anxious, I’m nervous, I’m gonna doubt myself".

Barcelona aims to keep audiences guessing and exploring the fantasy of who we pretend to be, versus the truth of who we are.

Set in 2009, late night in Barcelona, an American tourist [Lily] goes home with a handsome Spaniard [Álvaro].

Lily wrapped up warm in an a oversized teddy bear coat and scarf which she layered over a brown tracksuit
Lily wrapped up warm in an a oversized teddy bear coat and scarf which she layered over a brown tracksuit

Lily wrapped up warm in an a oversized teddy bear coat and scarf which she layered over a brown tracksuit and trainers 

The actress hopped into the back of her chauffeur-driven car

The actress hopped into the back of her chauffeur-driven car 

The play, which stars Emily as a woman who embarks on a one night stand during a hen night in the Catalonian capital, has so far failed to impress critics

The play, which stars Emily as a woman who embarks on a one night stand during a hen night in the Catalonian capital, has so far failed to impress critics 

The play is a two-hander and stars Emily alongside Money Heist's Alvaro Morte

The play is a two-hander and stars Emily alongside Money Heist's Alvaro Morte 

The Spanish actor also braced the cold weather as he met fans outside the theatre

The Spanish actor also braced the cold weather as he met fans outside the theatre 

One reviewer quipped  'Emily should have stayed in Paris' (Lily pictured during a curtain call last month)

One reviewer quipped  'Emily should have stayed in Paris' (Lily pictured during a curtain call last month)

What begins as a carefree, one-night stand becomes a high-stakes clash of intention and desire, as the personal and political intertwine

Lily and Charlie celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary in September with the stunner sharing a tribute to him in a gushing Instagram post.

'Happy anniversary to the man who makes me laugh harder than anyone. Three years held in your arms has been the greatest gift' the actress penned.

'Barefaced and in a basic tee, you make me feel like the most special human on the planet. I adore you @charliemcdowell. More than I know how to say.

'Here's to countless incredible moments together (plus twinning photoshoots). And to think, the best is still to come…' she said at the end of the heartfelt post.'

Barcelona: What are the critics saying? 

Daily Mail

Running at just 100 minutes, the play takes too long to get us to care for these two characters. But as the plot finally thickens and both reveal their much more interesting selves, we finally get involved – and increasingly tense.

'Barcelona is not perfect: There's too much telling and too little showing. But it turns into a play about learning to live again when you think it's all over.

The Guardian

Rating:

'The stars of Emily in Paris and Money Heist team up for a curiously flat drama mixing suspense, comedy and politics'

'But in Lynette Linton's production neither the suspense nor the humour hit home, the mix often more awkward than unsettling. The biggest in a handful of plot revelations lacks emotional impact and does not so much shed light on earlier events as render them distractingly implausible.'

The Independent

Rating:

The star of 'Emily in Paris' makes her West End debut in a play about another American abroad – but its contrived plot means that this story of two unhappy strangers fails to make an emotional impact.

Moments intended as gut punches land with a feather-light touch; monologues are heavy in exposition but lacking in the requisite emotional scaffolding to support them. As the sun rises and Manuel finally confides in Irene his terrible secret, it's too little too late to care. 

The Stage

Rating:

Lily Collins of Emily in Paris makes her West End debut in this contrived, cliché-littered play.

Collins does well to soften the edges of a character who remains fundamentally irritating, even after we learn more about her. 

The Times

Rating:

It's certainly brave of the daughter of the rock star Phil Collins to take the plunge in the West End. The problem is that, most of the time, her character, Irene, is so unbearably ditzy that you struggle to see how anyone could bring her to life. 

The Sunday Times

Rating:

This one doesn't entirely add up, but there is plenty to enjoy along the way. Collins once again plays a Midwesterner breaking free of her home life on a trip to Europe. She once again handles the comedy, but this is grungier terrain.

i News

Rating:

Collins's remarkable stage debut had the audience holding its breath in reverential concentration'

These are among the best 90 minutes of theatre I have seen all year and the applause at the play's end went on for so long that Collins began to look bashfully embarrassed.

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