Long Day's Journey Into Night

I was really looking forward to seeing this production for a few reasons. It was hyped immensely because Garry Hynes of Druid Theatre was directing and the cast featured seasoned professionals such as James Cromwell and Marie Mullen. I had never seen a Eugene O'Neill play performed and this was being performed in its entirety which means it lasted more than four hours with two intervals. The added bonus was that Aidan Kelly (whom I have seen and adored in Doubt, a parable and in Terminus) played the elder son Jaime.

As I was watching the performance I recalled reading the play years ago and barely getting through it because I had difficulty grasping the nature of the dialogue. Much as Chekhov and Ibsen are performed as overly dramatic and lacking in comedy, so too is the danger with O'Neill. It was wonderful to see and to hear these fine actors enjoying the rhythms of speech and the familiar banter of family. Of course, it was painful to be caught in the midst of lies, exaggerations, and injuries but it was because their performances were so good that the tensions could mount.

The layering of responses and information throughout the play is interesting and trying at once. The characters discuss the same anecdote or memory multiple times and with variations each time depending on who is present and what the speaker hopes to gain. This was something that was particularly well done in most of the play particularly as the momentum of the exchanges increased. As the energy and attention was more focused, the tragedy of this family became more palpable, more painful. Their history of pride, deception, and complicity in substance abuse became all the more difficult to watch as the characters each reveal past injuries, dashed hopes, and anticipated sorrows. It is an epic tale and truly a long journey towards an ending, though not necessarily to a resolution.

The cast was very strong. James Cromwell's powerful cadence and resonance assured he was a strong presence aurally in addition to the strong physical presence he provides with his stature. Marie Mullen was unexpectedly formidable at times. Aidan Kelly was delightfully affable with a malign edge. Michael Esper managed his turns from advocate to adversary in the familial machinations with intensity and conviction. Overall, it was a solid production and an enjoyable evening that left me painfully aware of the oft barbed interactions of desperate and injured individuals.