Long Day's Journey Into Night

[mallardo]

I saw this on its Richmond tour stop before heading into the West End in April. It's a great play and it needs four great performances to make it work. In this production it gets two of them.

First and foremost, Laurie Metcalf is astonishing as Mary Tyrone, a hugely difficult role that has defeated many wonderful actresses, Vanessa Redgrave among them. Her long descent into a drug-induced oblivion is the crux of the action. She is at all times the center of attention for us and for the other characters on stage and she must dominate through her fragility. With her long speeches drifting in and out of focus and her sudden mood shifts, Ms Metcalf is riveting and utterly convincing. A magnificent performance.

The excellent Kyle Soller, as the younger son, Edmund, is worthy to share the stage with her and their scenes together are highlights. Alas, Trevor White, as the wastrel son, Jamie, does not rise to his big moments, especially in the great fourth act confession scene. And David Suchet is simply miscast. He's a fine actor but he is not James Tyrone. Inhabiting a character who is larger than life he is several sizes too small.

That said, Ms Metcalf's performance is one for the ages and is, as they say, worth the price of admission.

[Phantom of London]

I am looking forward to seeing this, I am surprised with David Suchet being miscast, he is an outstanding actor, or he was when I saw him in 'All My Sons', but not of seen this Eugene O'Neill play, there are certainly horses for courses as the old adage goes.

[theatrepaul]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts - I too am surprised about David Suchet being miscast. When I heard he was playing this role, I thought it was perfect for him. Still, am looking forward to seeing it and interesting to read your comments, especially about Laurie Metcalf who's work I know only a little.

Out of interest, what was the approx running time? I seem to recall from a previous production that it is VERY long and note the evening start time in the West End is 7pm rather than 7.30pm?

[mallardo]

The running time was about three hours, slightly shorter than expected. There is one intermission, well-placed between acts three and four.

Re David Suchet, that's just my take on it. I loved him in All My Sons so I was expecting to love him in this, and didn't.

The other production I had seen of this play was on Broadway, about eight years ago, so I suppose I was making mental comparisons. The James Tyrone in that one was Brian Dennehy who didn't have to work very hard to portray the big swaggering former matinee idol with bags of charisma. That's who he was in life.

The original James Tyrone was Frederic March, a film star and a handsome leading man well into his old age. Laurence Olivier played the role effectively. That's what it takes.

Suchet is a physically unprepossessing character actor who could never convince me that he was the once glamorous guy the others were talking about. I don't like to put so much emphasis on an actor's physicality but, frankly, it counts in a role like this. Certainly he wasn't bad in the part - he just wasn't right.

[Scripps2]

So why wasn’t this as good as it should have been?

Was it because David Suchet seemed to be giving the same performance he gave in All My Sons a couple of years ago? It’s a dying-cry-of-the-dinosaur performance and it’s an impressive one but I didn’t pick up on any of the nuances of Catholic guilt and self-deluded piety that separate the Tyrones from the Kellers. And with that particular Suchet mould, whoever is playing his wife has to fit themself around it.

There’s no shortage of West End actresses who can play Mrs Suchet (Zoe, Claire) but perhaps they know the score and that’s why we have Laurie Metcalf. And she also turns in an impressive performance. But it’s very much within the space that Mr Suchet allows her.

The set was very attractive and both the sons (in fact all of them) were fine. But this, like the Mirren/Cooper Phedre, despite being a thoroughly professional production, was not the revelatory theatregoing event of my year that I was expecting.

[devonian.t]

You are spot on- I'm with you 100% Mr Scripps!

[rjm516]

Do they have day seats?

[Scripps2]

Don't know but it was at TKTS both days I was in London.