The Times  '...I was among the 609 losers, but still left full of admiration for the funny, touching, atmospheric and surely very realistic piece that Neil Bartlett has written and directed for Manchester's International Festival.  The presiding genius is Ian Puleston-Davies's Frank, who stands at his lectern calling numbers and chatting to the regulars in his saloon-bar voice.  And sometimes he leaves this de facto pulpit to draw glum parallels between bingo and life 'We all need practice at losing' etc That could seem obvious and become laboured, yet somehow it doesn't.  It's his Eeyore's-eye-view of deftly individualised punters with their own forlorn needs:  money to see grandchildren in Australia, or to help to pay off debts that are straining a marriage, or to buy presents ro 'my boys' or sad this, or pointless that...

Is it pushing parallels too far to say that (Ian Puleston-Davies) could have stepped out of a Beckett play and, indeed, that Beckett himself would have relished Bartlett's bingo games?  Not really' * * * *

The Guardian '...Miriam Buether's design deftly re-creates the faint tackiness of the bingo hall with its strip lights and glitterballs.  And there are a number of strong performances.  Ian Puleston-Davies exactly conveys the loneliness of the longtime bingo caller.  Sally Lindsay is all fretful anxiety as the manager, Emily Alexander is quietly hilarious as one of the bored staff who periodically sing in moderatly close harmony and Sally Bankes is outrageous as a foul-mouthed punter...I suspect it will be both eyes down and a full house at the Royal Exchange over the next month'.

Metro 'Converting the Royal Exchange into a dingy bingo hall, Neil Bartlett's commission for MIF is certainly the most Mancunian piece of theatre at this year's event.  Not just because of the references to Hyde and Didsbury, but in the way that the low key comedy and characterisation recalls hyperreal television shows such as Early Doors and The Royal Family. 

Tracing a day in the life of the REX bingo hall...WINNER is brilliant at capturing the dowdy lives of its patrons and staff, without resorting to cliches.  The sizeable cast is uniformly impressive, especially when they become an impromptu Greek chorus, bursting into song. and Ian Puleston-Davies stands out as the philosophically minded caller Frank...WINNER provides the festival with a heart - and a funny bone' * * * *

whatsonstage.com 'EVERYBODY LOVES A WINNER is one of the most ambitious pieces of theatre that I have seeen in years.  The iconic Royal Exchange space and foyer is transformed beautifully by Miriam Buether into The Rex Bingo Hall, as we are transported into a world of heartache, suspense, hope and disappointment... you cannot help but sit open-mouthed at the sheer scale of the piece, matched by even bigger performances...WINNER is bloody good fun, carried by a great cast, a stunning set design and audience participation and it deserves a full house.' * * * *

Financial Times '...Ian Puleston-Davies is EXCELLENT as Frank, working the crowd affably even though we see his private bitterness.  The man sitting beside me was a bingo operator:  he remarked that the aesthetic of the show was a few years out of date...but pronounce the show overall 'scarily accurate' * * * *

The Daily Telegraph ' ...The acting has a WONDERFUL authenticity about it, but playing the game adds another level of involvement - LUCKY LUCKY Manchester' * * * *

The Mail on Sunday '...The play is an ambitious undertaking, requiring a cast of 200...when it comes to how-to-play-bingo the show takes off, and the audience feels the power of the drug.  With our cards in front of us, we sit silent, eyes down, breath held, hoping against hope that maybe this time...Even if you emerge no richer you will certainly have been enriched.' * * * *

The Sunday Times 'Miriam Buether's set TRANSFORMS the Royal Exchange into a dingy bingo hall, with a swirly, stained carpet, strip lighting, glitterballs and polystyerne cups on the Formica tables.  The players - mostly women of all ages - form a chorus in which they religiously chant their belief in hope - Sally Bankes is MARVELLOUSLY belligerent  - Bartlett's play is admirably unpatronising towards those who enjoy a small flutter' * * * *