SIMON PARSONS is discomfited by an unflichingly negative portrait of motherhood and its trials
Just say No to family values
MARY CONWAY is spellbound by an outstanding and relentless rendition of the universal family drama
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a play about AI that results in a deadening disconnect for its audience
SIMON PARSONS applauds an insightful state-of-the-nation play that explores the growing class divide in South Africa
MATTHEW HAWKINS pays tribute to the performance artist and costumier, Leigh Bowery
SIMON DUFF reviews a new composition by German composer and pianist Florian Weber that blurs the line between where improvisation ends and composition begins
New releases from The Jim Mullen Quartet, Caroline Kraabel/John Edwards, and Matthew Muneses/Riza Printup
A Long Day’s Journey into Night
Wyndham’s Theatre, London
THAT Eugene O’Neill’s A Long Day’s Journey into Night is a towering masterpiece is no longer up for debate.
Gifted to the world by the author in the 1950s — but never seen on stage by him — it’s a deeply confessional, autobiographical work that immerses us in the painful and profoundly tragic impact, not only of one family unit on its members, but also of each family member on the unit. Though the setting could not be more specific, no-one could watch this play without recognising something of their own, and every family, in its slow, deep burn and inner turmoil.
Iconic productions of the play have abounded over the years. Now it’s director Jeremy Herrin’s turn to thrill whole new generations with a detailed and passionate exposition.
More from this author
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
A landmark work of gay ethnography, an avant-garde fusion of folk and modernity, and a chance comment in a great interview
ANGUS REID applauds the inventive stagecraft with which the Lyceum serve up Stevenson’s classic, but misses the deeper themes
Similar stories
A nervous year, showing that the theatre, like the world, stands on a precipice and seems uncertain where to jump
MARY CONWAY applauds a worthy revival of the US 1939 classic drama that studies the dehumanising consequences of affluence
MARY CONWAY relishes a magnificent performance and the rich street language in a flawed depiction of racist police violence in downtown New York
LYNNE WALSH sees form suffocate all-important content in a groundbreaking 1928 play