Mass at Donmar Warehouse Review
Written by Emily K-N for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Content warnings: The production features themes of grief and the loss of a child. There is discussion and description of a mass shooting in a school. There are references to suicide and suicidal thoughts.
In a church function room, two employees get things ready for a meeting that will shortly take place. Brandon (Amari Bacchus) starts clearing up the mess from a previous meeting before Judy (Susie Trayling) enters and anxiously arranges furniture and sorts snacks and drinks for the meeting attendees. It’s not long before Kendra (Rochelle Rose) arrives, bringing with her a sense of orderliness and professionalism. It becomes clear that she has organised the bringing together of the attendees, but who will turn up?
Enter two couples, first Gail (Lyndsey Marshall) and Jay (Adeel Akhtar), with Gail wondering whether she can even go through with the meeting. Not long after, Linda (Monica Dolan) and Richard (Paul Hilton) arrive, more formally dressed, with Linda, visibly shaking, offering Gail flowers. Some small talk and pleasantries follow, before we learn of the reason for the meeting, at which point you could hear a pin drop in the audience. Both couples have lost a teenage son in a school shooting, but one couple’s son was the shooter. And so begins an attempt at reconciliation, as both couples try to understand each other and what could have led to such a tragic event taking place. We can only imagine how hard such a conversation would be to navigate, but it’s a compelling premise for this one act drama.
Frustration, regret, and heartbreak are just some of the emotions that come to the surface as the discussion intensifies in real time. The clever revolving stage element means that, wherever you’re sat, you’re able to focus on each of the four characters over the course of the discussion. This really makes you feel like you’re a fly on the wall, adding to the overall intimacy of the production and allowing you to feel sympathy for each character at different points.
The acting is sublime. Everyone involved gives a truthful, moving performance, making it easy to engage and hold your attention on what is being said. Monica Dolan as Linda gives a particularly heartbreaking performance as a mother who is racked with pain, and the feeling she may never have fully known her son or what he was capable of.
Lighting and sound design, by Guy Hoare and Donato Wharton, is used subtly but meaningfully. Towards the end of the production, it complements a particularly poignant moment, where there is finally some calm after much tension and heightened emotion.
Mass, put simply, is theatre at its absolute best. Whilst the subject matter is tough, it’s difficult not to be completely drawn in for the duration. This is an impactful, heartrending piece of theatre, which leaves an impression long after in ends.
Mass plays at Donmar Warehouse until 6 June.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
