It certainly is a long journey - three and half hours with interval - in the Sydney Theatre Company's current production of Eugene O'Neill's classic play. Not that it was hard going; the mostly excellent acting eliciting both the humour and drama of the piece. American actors, William Hurt and Todd Van Voris play James Tyrone and James Tyrone jnr respectively whilst local actors Robyn Nevin and Luke Mullins portray Mary Tyrone and Edmund Tyrone. Nevin is simply outstanding and Van Voris has a wonderful stage presence and voice. Perhaps surprisingly it is Hurt, the biggest name in the cast who is the least impressive in my opinion mostly because of the speed of his delivery and his tendency to mumble. This production transfers to Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland Oregon, following the Sydney season.
(Robyn Nevin and William Hurt.)
I remember studying this book in HSC and found it very powerful. I would love to see a stage adaptation. Hopefully it will come to Melbourne.
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