Long Day’s Journey Into Night by The New Rep Theatre Company Review
Photo by Emily Foxton.
Written by Bronagh for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Long Day’s Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill is regarded as one of the greatest plays of the 20th Century. The recipient of numerous awards, including Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, Long Day’s Journey into Night has been staged all across the world, gracing Broadway, the West End, and now the Golden Goose Theatre in Camberwell. Staged by The New Rep Theatre Company, new life has been injected into this classic.
Long Day’s Journey into Night is autobiographical, set over one day and split into four acts. We meet the Tyrone family in their seaside home, a fragile family haunted by addiction and moments from the past. This production is cleverly framed as if we are watching actors learning their lines of Long Day’s Journey into Night, with Kim Whatmore as narrator, prior to a performance, until the texts are thrown to the floor and the cast ‘become’ their characters. This felt very fresh, an excellent way to stage an older piece of work.
We watch as Mary (Molly-May Paterson) drifts in and out of her morphine addiction, whilst her two sons, Jamie and Edmund (David Knight and Ross Gordon), and husband (Patrick Ward) drink more and more alcohol. On top of this, Edmund is succumbing to consumption, much to Mary’s distress. We watch as the family argues over Mary’s addiction, over Edmund’s illness, showing just how fragile family ties can be.
Long Day’s Journey into Night explores some difficult topics, mainly dysfunctional families and addiction. It is interesting how the men have issues relating to alcoholism, however, this is a lot more forgivable than Mary’s morphine addiction, understood to have stemmed from the difficult childbirth of Edmund. We see how Mary becomes more and more isolated in her addiction, how she detaches herself from the reality of the situation.
All four cast members are 2024 Italia Conti graduates, and they undoubtedly have extremely bright futures ahead of them. Paterson’s portrayal of Mary was absolutely mind-blowing; at times, I felt like I was watching the real Mary and not just a performance. This is a cast that must be seen.
The set is kept very simple, just a table and chairs and copies of the play. The simplicity works perfectly; we don’t need a fancy set or props, just a brilliantly written script and a group of talented actors. Lighting is used to represent the time of day, from the soft glow of the early morning to the fading light as we go into the depths of evening.
Rather sadly, there’s no happy ending in Long Day’s Journey into Night, and not one person gets any respite. There’s no rehabilitation, no recovery for anybody, much like a mirror of O’Neill’s life. Although sad, this is a stark reminder of how addiction can sever ties and ruin lives.
I genuinely don’t have any criticisms of this production, and found myself very impressed and engaged for the full three hours. It isn’t often you come across a show like this - a masterpiece if you will - and The New Rep Theatre company has done this so much justice. A classic piece of art, totally brought to life by some fresh, new talent.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night plays at the Golden Goose Theatre until 7th June.
★★★★★
