With thousands of AI‑written, edited or ‘polished’ books being sold, LAURA BEERS hears an eerie echo of Orwell’s ‘novel‑writing machines’
Latest editorial
Just say No to family values
MARY CONWAY is spellbound by an outstanding and relentless rendition of the universal family drama
Brian Cox, Patricia Clarkson, Laurie Kynaston and Daryl McCormack in Eugene O'Neill's family drama A Long Day's Journey Into Night
[Johan Persson]
ANDY HEDGECOCK is entertained by a playful novel that embeds a fictional game at its heart
Death comes for Liberals, entitled murder, Vatican hit squads, and fraternising with the Blitz killer
New releases from Public Image Ltd, William Basinski, and John Luther Adams
GABRIELE NEHER draws attention to an astoundingly skilled Flemish painter who defied the notion that women cannot paint like men
The Bard pays homage to Hull’s finest promoter and venue, and awards Douze Points to Laibach
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.
Similar stories
MARY CONWAY becomes impatient with the intellectual self-indulgence of Tom Stoppard in a production that is, nevertheless, total class
GORDON PARSONS is blown away by a superb production of Rostand’s comedy of verbal panache and swordmanship
MARY CONWAY revels in the Irish American language and dense melancholy of O’Neill’s last and little-known play
In this production of David Mamet’s play, MARY CONWAY misses the essence of cruelty that is at the heart of the American deal