Video transcript: “A Moon for the Misbegotten at the Almeida Theatre has an absolutely fantastic cast: Michael Shannon, Ruth Wilson, David Threlfall – they are all superb.
However, there is a but coming: I’m just not sure about the play. There were times when it was really gripping and I was really there with it.
But then there were others where it feels like it just meanders, and similar conversations are had over and over.
So I have very mixed views because, on the one hand, you have this brilliant acting, some really brilliant scenes, but it feels very bloated.
If, if I had my way, I think there’s a really good play in there, Eugene O’Neill, but it’s about an hour and a half long, I would say. And this is three hours with an interval.
So yeah, good and bad. Be interested to know what other people think.”
Additional thoughts without the constraints of Insta Reel/YouTube shorts format…
This is a play without shocks or strong narrative drive. Josie (Ruth Wilson) is classed as a ‘fallen’ woman, having allegedly had relationships with men out of wedlock, which would have been shocking at the time, no doubt, but isn’t now. So the later revelation about her sexual status doesn’t have the same emotional resonance.
Are we also supposed to feel surprised about an extra layer of manipulation/scheming? Everything has been talked about so much that it feels lost.
And that is the key problem. Conversations between characters are interesting to a point, but then start to go over the same ground without advancing the plot. It’s a long time to watch characters stuck in the same spiral.
It pulled me out of the play, and the tragedy felt diluted.
Review: A Moon for the Misbegotten, Almeida Theatre
Written by Eugene O’Neill
Directed by Rebecca Frecknall
Starring: Ruth Wilson, Michael Shannon and David Threlfall
Running time: 3 hours including an interval
Booking until 16 August; for more information and to buy tickets, visit the Almeida website.
My star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recently reviewed:
Till The Stars Come Down, Theatre Royal Haymarket booking until 27 September ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mrs Warren’s Profession, Garrick Theatre booking until 16 August ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fifth Step, Soho Place booking until 26 July ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Video review: The Estate, National Theatre booking until 23 August ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Video review: Intimate Apparel, Donmar Warehouse booking until 9 August ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.
Leave a Reply