LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT by Eugene ONeill, directed by Diana Leblanc (Soulpepper). At the Young Centre (55 Mill). In rep to March 28, see soulpepper.ca for schedule. $51-$68, stu $32, rush $5-$22. 416-866-8666. See listing. Rating: NNNN
A bona fide American theatre classic, Long Day’s Journey Into Night is a difficult work to stage and to watch. A semi-autobiographical study of a family whose members lose themselves in alcohol and drugs to forget the desperation of their lives and their unfulfilled dreams, the play is epic not only in its three-hours-plus running time but also in the emotional depths it plumbs.
The Soulpepper production, directed with knowing care by Diana Leblanc, isn’t yet fully shaped but is going in that direction its fine cast understands the loving but hurting nature of this family, where, metaphorically, a caress with the back of a hand is followed by slap with a palm.
Father James Tyrone (Joseph Ziegler) is a formerly lionized actor, a charmer recognized for his stinginess and for holding grudges, often against his sons. His soft-spoken wife Mary (Nancy Palk) drifts in and out of a morphine haze and memories of the past, self-deluded that rheumatism in her hands is the reason she needs medication. The others watch her, knowing that she’s only been home from rehab for two months troubled and with a giddy, nervous laugh, the moody woman knows they keep an eye on her.
Elder son James Junior (Evan Buliung) is an actor like his father, unhappy at it and seeking recourse in drink. Edmund (Gregory Prest), the poetic younger and a former sailor, is his mother’s favourite his “bad summer cold” turns out to be something far more serious.
These long-term relationships mean that each family member can easily push emotional buttons in the other three fights erupt regularly in all directions. But there’s obvious affection here, too, which makes the painful scenes even more heartbreaking. The four can neither stop hurting nor loving each other.
At this point, the first act is pretty much a barrage of attacks with little in the way of relief the production would be richer if we could rest occasionally. The second act has settled in, though, with touches of quiet and even mild comedy.
It begins with a strong scene between Edmund and his father, where each opens up the sadness and loss he’s kept hidden and tries to make the other understand his choices.
That’s followed by a bravura turn by James Junior, drunk and maudlin at first but finally explaining the complex mix of jealousy and love he feels for Edmund. Mary finishes the play in another memory speech, a recollection of her childhood in a convent school and the simple, solid realization of her love for James.
Given the talent of the company – which includes Krystin Pellerin as the talkative family maid with her own understanding of the family dynamic – that first act will, with time, become as nuanced as the second. Then this Journey will be a spellbinding trip.
