Long Day’s Journey Into Night at Wyndham’s Theatre

Eugene O'Neil plays have been absent from London theatres for a few years and, remarkably, it had been twelve years since I last saw Long Day's Journey into Night. I was keen to see is again.

It helped that this production stared Brian Cox, best known to me for his role as a KGB agent in the two RED films.

All that meant that I was happy to pay £15 for seat A13 in the Grand Circle, which is the third level up.

The play follows the Tyrone family through one summer's day in their seaside home. The father is a touring actor so this is their summer home only. The action, such as it, takes place in one room with the four family members and a maid coming and going throughout the day. It is a play of dialogue and through that dialogue we discover more about the family, particularly their weaknesses.

It is hard to say more without dropping spoilers but it is perhaps not a surprise that heavy drinking and womanising feature.

I loved the set (but forgot to take a photograph) as it was very sparse, little more than a table and a few chairs. That gave more space to the dialogue and also may have been a hint towards the father's miserliness (a trait he explained during the day).

At one level, nothing really happens and the day ends as it began and all that has changed is that we know a lot more about that family. What does happen is all in the words and these are Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning words. The play gripped with ferocity and held me tightly for three hours.

This sort of play is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and I do not think that the school party behind me were that impressed, but it most assuredly is mine. I loved it and everyone in it.

Ah, Wilderness! at the Young Vic

Going to see an Eugene O'Neil play is always an easy decision to make and even more so when is is on somewhere like the Young Vic which has a happy habit of doing classic plays in modern ways so that they appeal to a wide-range of theatre lovers.

My knowledge of Eugene O'Neil plays is still somewhat limited and this was another one that I had not heard of, much less seen and I was keen to increase that knowledge. I was quick enough off the mark to claim a front row seat (A14 for £27.50). The Young Vic rings the changes with the seat layouts which makes it hard to decide where is the best place to sit and I chose this one in a corner of the U based on my visit to Happy Days. It worked again.

FourSquare reminds me that this was a busy day. I worked in Birmingham that day which was fine as our office was very close to Birmingham International station and there are lots of fast trains to Euston from there. I left work around 4:30pm, to be safe, and was in Southwark two hours later. First stop was Culture Grub for my usual curry and then a quick coffee at the Union Theatre Cafe theatre. I had, of course, considered having something to eat and/or a drink at the bar at the Young Vic but that was far too busy, a victim of its own success.

The down-time and refreshments had put me in the right mode for some theatre. My seat proved to be a good one and the only disappointment was the enthusiasm with which the attendants prevented photography, they are the worst theatre for this in my experience. The best I could come up with was the hastily taken, and hence blurred, picture below which I took on the way out. I just wanted something to remind me of the view I had of the stage,

I fell in love with the works of Eugene O'Neil through his grimy sea plays and this was nothing like that. Ah, Wilderness told the coming-of-age story of a young man buried in books and it was a jolly story peppered with a few darker moments.

The jollity came mostly from the young man who had the relentless optimism of youth and a passion for reading.

He was surrounded by his family including a successful father who epitomised firm-but-fair and a couple of siblings who rivalled and loved as siblings do.

Adding the darkness was a friend of the family who was unable to resist the lure of alcohol for long and that led to some bad drunken episodes where he disgraced himself. This addiction kept his long-term love from marrying him thus adding regret to embarrassment.

The young lad also had a drunken episode, led astray by a friend, but this was of the youthful excess kind, prostitutes were involved too, and it was one of the funny episodes in the story.

The story zipped along because the lad did, never still and never quiet there was always something happening that demanded attention.

The production did some very clever things without the cleverness getting in the way. The set, reminiscent of that used in Happy Days, effortlessly changed in to other places without really changing anything. Chairs appeared and it was a bar, a table appeared and it was a dining room, water appeared (by magic!) and it was a beach.

The best thing the production did was leave plenty of space for the strength of all of the characters to shine through and it was those characters in a touching story that made the play work for me.

This production of Ah, Wilderness! was just my sort of thing and judging by the full house and cheering at the end is was lots of other people's sort of thing too.

Strange Interlude at the National Theatre

Most of the theatres that I go to are small and do free seating so there is no great point in booking a long time ahead. The National Theatre is not like that so when it finally dawned on me that they were staging a Eugene O'Neil play that I had not seen I was very lucky to bag a seat in the centre of the circle, my favourite seat in the house. The God of Returns was obviously smiling on me.

Strange Interlude, we learn, is that awkward period between the past and the future and the play takes us through a series of strange interludes in the life of Nina.

We start following here in her early twenties when World War I has just ended and taken the life of her love. The tale ends by the grave of her husband some thirty years later.

The story is all about Nina and the men in her life, her dead love, her father, an avuncular family friend, a doctor she works for, a man she is persuaded to marry and her son named after her lost love. The story takes over three hours to tell but never ceases to engage and captivate.

It is a not untypical life. There are scenes of tenderness, sorrow, neurosis, love, happiness, despair and gentle companionship.

The darkest moments are not shown to us but are mentioned and the big secret (that I'll keep a secret) is told to us in the audience but not shared with many of those on stage, especially not the two people most impacted by it. The little secret, the inherited madness, does become known to most people but not to the one who has it.

There is a lot of direct address to the audience and while some have accused this as lazy writing (i.e. the easiest way to show what a character is thinking is to get them to say it out loud) it works very effectively in the hands of a good playwright like O'Neill. Or Shakespeare.


Strange Interlude is mostly a play about dialogue between well defined characters and so the set has little to do except become different rooms and it does this without a fuss. The bigger job is with the actors who have to convince us that they are those well defined characters and without exception they do.

It is a remarkably good production. Everything about it is excellent. The bedrock of a solid O'Neill script is done justice by everyone involved, especially the cast. This was the National Theatre showing us just why it is the National Theatre.

Desire Under the Elms at the Lyric Hammersmith

It is little over a year since I made a conscious connection to the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill with a faultless production of Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse. I have taken every opportunity since then to see more of his works and Desire Under the Elms at the Lyric, Hammersmith was the fourth play in the fourth theatre.

This was my first visit to the Lyric, despite its convenient location being easily reachable from Richmond by tube and bus. It's always nice to have a choice of routes in case one is disrupted for some reason.

The Lyric impressed me as I had a beer and a snack pre-theatre. The waiting areas are large, open and fresh. The refurbishment and redecoration are recent and stylish. It reminded me of the Lost Theatre that has also been refreshed recently.

Soaking up the modern ambiance only increases the shock of going in to the theatre. Nothing prepares you for the Victorian theatre entombed in a modern building.

I must admit that I would have much preferred a modern theatre that matched the modern spaces outside.

I am not against history but we have too many Victorian theatres that are too similar to each other to be interesting individually and which do not provide modern facilities such as leg-room and a guaranteed view over the heads in front.

I got over the second potential problem in the usual way, by securing a seat in the front row of the circle.

Desire Under the Elms is set on a small farm in the American Mid-West. Life is hard but reasonable. Living on the farm are the aged father who built it, his two late-twenties sons from his first marriage and his late-teens son from his second marriage. Both wives are now dead.

The future of the farm is a hot topic of discussion as the old man can only pass it on to one of them. This future is thrown in to turmoil when the father returns with his third bride and new natural heir to the farm.

The two elder sons leave to seek their fortunes in California leaving just the old man, his young bride and his youngest son.

The play turns sharply in this scene where the bride makes it abundantly clear that she is interested in the son. He is young and, frankly, has no chance and they are soon embroiled in an affair that everybody in the nearby village is aware of but which the old man is oblivious too.

There is a nice scene when a party is held to celebrate the arrival of a baby and the villagers do a strange but wonderful dance that they brought with them from somewhere in Europe.

The play speeds towards its expected gloomy end though which end and how gloomy is not apparent until you get there.

The play ends with a passing comment about the beauty of the farm. And that is as it should be as the farm is the central character in the play. Its history and future are what drive the story and lead the characters to do what they do.

The production is rather neat. Most of the scenes take place in various rooms in the house, the kitchen, parlour and two bedrooms, and these are wheeled on and off the stage as if they too were actors, reinforcing the idea of the farm as a character in the story.

The acting is pretty good too though the youngest son did have a tendency to shout when that was not necessary or appropriate. There was nothing to complain about in the other two main roles. The old man was proud and domineering and his new wife was sultry and scheming.

There was a lot to admire in this production and in the play itself. It made for an emotional and enthralling evening, which is what I hoped it would do.

Long Day's Journey into Night at Richmond Theatre

I had not been to Richmond Theatre theatre for a couple of years or so and it took something unmissable to get me back. And this was unmissable.

It became unmissable when I was on my way to the Old Vic Tunnels to see Eugene O'Neill's Sea Plays and I saw the adverts for Long Day's Journey into Night plastered all over the ticket barriers at Richmond Station.

The hint was duly taken and the tickets bought. This is pre-West End and in preview yet it still cost just over £40 for a decent seat (front row of the Grand Circle). That's probably why I do not go there very often.

On the plus side, the theatre is pretty enough (not that I care what theatres look like from the outside) and is well positioned on the Little Green just off the town centre and close to the station.

Inside it is much as you would expect, old, dowdy and lacking in facilities.

Luckily these facilities do include a small bar by the Grand Circle.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that your first check-in to the theatre on FourSquare gets you a free drink.

Waiting in the bar I try to assess the audience and decide that they are Daily Mail readers whereas a few days earlier the Young Vic was decidedly Guardian, and younger.

Soon the seven o'clock bell tolls and we are summoned in to the theatre. This looks to be full, which I always like to see.

Long Day's Journey into Night takes us in to the Connecticut home of the Tyrones, a late middle-aged couple and there two grown-up sons.

The scene is normal enough but we soon learn that there are deep issues in the family that are not helped by their addictions to drink (three of them), women (two) and drugs (one).

We follow the Tyrones for one day from just after breakfast until early the following morning. In between those two times there is a lot of talk, conversation, argument, discussion, reflection and drinking.

The mood ebbs and flows with some light moments that bring laughter from the audience and many more dark moments where we learn more about the troubles within the family. These include, in no particular order, jealously, consumption, misspent opportunities and deceit.

There is love there too and that is one of the things that keeps the family together.

The characters are never still. They come and go from the one room of the house that we can see and when in it they are rarely still. They are animated, passionate and restless but never busy. Some work does get done but it is either done by other people or happens off stage. The nervous energy in their perpetual motion heightens the tension.

Having praised the set and the direction it only remains to praise everything else about the play because it is fantastic.

The acting is excellent. David Suchet is the big name draw and lives up to the billing but this is far from a one-man show. All four of the main actors are superb and totally believable.I especially liked the subtlety slightly slurred behaviour of the mother after her first touch of drugs that day.

Long Day's Journey into Night is seen as Eugene O'Neill's master-work. This production shows why.

The Sea Plays at The Old Vic Tunnels

Certain events have "visit me" stamped on them in large bold letters and this was one of them.

Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse was one of my theatrical highlights of the last year and so the chance to see some of his earlier works in similar settings was always going to be attractive.

The Old Vic Tunnels is one of London's most unusual theatres which makes it well worth a visit even for "average" shows.

And it was my birthday.

The theatre does what is say on the tin, it is in the old tunnels that run under the approach to Waterloo Station.

There are now some signs at the station directing you towards the theatre but once you get there the theatre refuses to admit its presence.

What you find is a nondescript and uncared for door in an equally unloved industrial brick wall.

This is the entrance to the theatre.

Arriving a little before it opened it was fun to see the groups of people walking past, then back again before pausing to ask if you knew where the theatre was only to have to explain that they were there.

Come opening time the door opens and a man appears to guide the theatre goers in.

What you find there is, not surprisingly, tunnels.

Some effort has been made to clean them up and to make them safe but none has been spent on decorating or disguising them.

These tunnels are proud of what they are.

On this occasion some of the alcoves held barrels and ropes suggesting that we might be in a boat.

Having had a quick beer in the makeshift bar we were led to the screening room where the plays were to be performed. On the way we had one final treat with some of the actors stoking away in the boiler room.

The performance area was just another tunnel into which some temporary seats had been added.

The stage was set as the heart of a large boat with the brick walls melting in to metal bulk heads.

The brutality and functionality of the theatre could not have been more appropriate.

Suddenly we were in the middle of a storm with high winds, braking waves and a tossing ship.

The reaction from the crew was hectic and frantic and we had furious motion to add to the light and noise.

In the chaos one of the sailors falls injured.

And then we are into Bound East for Cardiff which follows the last days of the sailor.

He lies in bed seriously ill, his friends surprised that he survived at all, but there is nothing that anybody can do for him other than hope that he lives until they get to Cardiff.

There is no doctor or medical cabinet on board and all that the Captain can offer is some more generic remedy that is entirely ineffective.

As he lies ill he discusses a shared dream with a colleague. Both have ambitions to leave the nautical life and to start a new life, and family, on a small farm in somewhere like Argentina.

In the Zone takes us forward a few years and in to the First World War.

Here the same crew, with one new member, is heading for Liverpool with munitions. They are blacked-out in fear of U-Boats.

They are also scared of German spies and stories are exchanged of their threat and of some being found in Canada.

Suspicion then turns on their newest member who had been seen behaving suspiciously in the night.

The play revolves around this suspicion, their reaction to it, the crew member's reaction to them, and the reason for his behaviour.

The Long Voyage Home takes us on-shore. The men have a lot of money to spend (many months wages) and want to spend it on cheap whiskey and cheaper women.

Except for the middle-aged Swede who has saved for two years and is booked on a steamer home, as a passenger, where he plans to spend some time with his aged mother before she dies.

Drunk men with money will always attract those with lesser motives and the Swede becomes a target when the rest of the crew leave to carry a colleague back to the boat. It does not end well.

The three plays are connected by their characters, portrayal of the harsh life they lead and the emotions drawn from some of the harsh events (death, accusation, betrayal). This is why they work well together.

They are also very good plays enhanced by the unusual setting, the way that the director takes advantage of this and the cast that all play their significant part in the whole.

And to think that they did all that just because it was my birthday.

Anna Christie at Donmar Warehouse

I'll start with an overdue credit.

One of the reasons that I have gone to so many more plays this year is thanks to the efforts of Elaine Bodenitz of the Logica Sports and Social Club.

She arranges the group bookings that take me to see things that I would otherwise have missed or overlooked. Thanks Elaine :-)

And it was thanks to her that I found myself at the Donmar Warehouse (my first time there) to see Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie which won the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

It was the play's heritage that attracted me and the presence of Jude Law that clinched it.

I'm not quite sure where Theatreland is meant to be as you never seem to be that far away from a theatre in London but the Donmar Warehouse feels a little bit off the beaten track for theatregoers sitting as it does among the high-style and high-cost shops just to the North of Covent Garden underground station.

The theatre is in a warehouse, as its name promises, and that is good. Inside it reminded me of places like the Young Vic, Arcola and Orange Tree.

It is bare, functional, industrial and charming because of all that.

And, as you might have deduced from the photo of the stage, it has a gallery and I was sitting in it. Downstairs the stage is surrounded by the audience on three sides making it intimate in just the way that I like.

The picture also shows the simplicity of the staging with the wooden floor and walls providing the framework for a bar, the deck of a boat and the inside of a boat moored in a harbour.

All that is required to complete the transformation from one to the other is the placement of a few props such as a few bar stools or a bed.

All looked set well at that point; an award-wining play, a good theatre and a simple stage, all things that I like. Good omens.

The first of the main characters that we meet is Chris Christopherson who captains a small coal barge plying its trade on the East Coast of America.

Chris, we soon learn, is Swedish but gave his life to the sea many years ago. He had a wife back in Sweden but she had died. He was left with a five year old daughter who he palmed off with relatives in the farming communities of Minnesota.

Chris fatalistically blames the sea for everything that happens to him. The sea has killed many people that he knew, including members of his close family, but he cannot escape from its lure and nor does he want to.

He lives from day to day but generally happy with his lot. He has a loose relationship with a woman when we meet him but they are just ships passing in the night and she moves on. Their is no rancour or regret, this is just how things are.

David Hayman plays Chris brilliantly carrying the Swedish heritage and the fatalism with absolute conviction.

Then we meet Anna.

She has come looking for her father who she has not seen since she was abandoned as a five year-old. The bar is the only address she has for him and she writes to him there and arrives soon after Chris reads the letter. He's not in the bar when she arrives so we get to see a little of her before he does.

Anna is smartly dressed but sits comfortably in the sailors' bar drinking whiskey. That seems a little surprising at the time but becomes less so as we learn more about her.

She had had a very rough time growing up being treated as a slave by the family and being raped by one of the sons.

Ruth Wilson plays Anna with quiet emotion and grace.

Anna joins her father on the coal barge and during a storm they pick up some shipwrecked sailors, including the proud Irish stoker Mat Burke.

Mat is a simple (but not stupid) worker. He is proud of his strength developed from hard years of shovelling coal and has a girl in every port. Like Chris he is captivated by life at sea but does not share Chris' fatalism about it.

Mat (understandably) makes an earnest play for Anna as he recovers from his ordeal and after a few weeks he decides that he is going to marry her (she is not expected to have any choice in that). The rest of the play resolves around that decision.

Jude Law is sensational and is only prevented from dominating the show by the equally good performances from David Hayman and Ruth Wilson.

He could have been born for the part with his stoker's physique, curly ginger hair and thick Irish accent.

I could go on heaping praise on the play, production and acting but it's sufficient to say that it is faultless in every respect.