LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT Now On Stage At The Stratford Festival

Eugene O'Neill's tour de force, Long Day's Journey Into Night, directed by Miles Potter, and starring Seana McKenna and Scott Wentworth, is now on stage at the Studio Theatre.

In this searing drama, O'Neill paints a haunting portrait of his own emotionally damaged family as they struggle - under crushing burdens of guilt, resentment and dread - to maintain the unifying bonds of love. Published posthumously, it is considered one of history's greatest plays, earning O'Neill the Pulitzer Prize.

"O'Neill had a body of work as large as Shakespeare's but he still kept on, compulsively circling closer and closer to a small living room in Connecticut, and what he really needed to confront," says Mr. Potter. "It was his life - as he saw it, as he remembered it.

"It is unclear from his biography whether writing what has been called one of the greatest American plays of the twentieth century provided him with any peace or understanding. Tennessee Williams (who knew something about being haunted) was present at the New York opening of Long Day's Journey Into Night in 1956, and is quoted as saying: 'Eugene O'Neill gave birth to the American theatre, and died for it.' It would be hard to find a more fitting eulogy," he adds.

"Long Day's Journey Into Night is O'Neill's great cri de coeur, a searing confessional about the tyrannies within his own family," says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. "In the hands of Miles Potter and his extraordinary cast, every word, every emotion and every drop of pain is palpable. The result is a deeply Moving Theatre experience that grabs you by the heart and doesn't let go."

Ms McKenna and Mr. Wentworth play Mary and James Tyrone, with Charlie Gallant and Gordon S. Miller as their sons, Edmund and James Jr., and Amy Keating as their maid, Cathleen.

The creative team includes Set Designer Peter Hartwell, Costume Designer Gillian Gallow, Lighting Designer Steve Lucas, Sound Designer Verne Good and Fight Director John Stead.

Long Day's Journey Into Night opens on May 30 and runs until October 13.

Production support is generously provided by Alice & Tim Thornton.

Support for the 2018 season of the Studio Theatre is generously provided by Sandra & Jim Pitblado.

Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Forum

The Forum is a series of events, such as exclusive showcases, guest speakers, special meals, music and family fun, that offer theatregoers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the ideas and issues raised by the 2018 playbill.

To post a comment, you must register and login.