Ah, Wilderness! at the Young Vic
Eugene O’Neill’s gentle comedy sits in stark contrast to his life,
Eugene O’Neill is considered one of America’s greatest playwrights, often mentioned in the same breath as Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. O’Neill had a turbulent life: his mother was a morphine addict, his brother died of alcohol poisoning, he disowned his youngest son for heroin use and his daughter for marrying Charlie Chaplin. Both his sons committed suicide, and O’Neill himself attempted to take his own life at the age of 24.
It’s perhaps because of this turmoil that nothing much happens in Ah, Wilderness! A comedy in the loosest sense of the word, the story unfolds over the course of one day: the 4th of July, in the home of a typical middle class family in early 20th century America.
There’s a rebellious teenage son due to go to Yale after the summer, obsessed with the work of Oscar Wilde and Henrik Ibsen much to the chagrin of his conservative mother; rising star George Mackay, most recently seen in the fantastic, power-to-the-people comedy-drama Pride, does a fine job of portraying the idealistic youth. There’s his diplomatic father who owns a local newspaper, a hard-drinking uncle, and the long-suffering object of his affections, who eagle-eyed viewers may recognise from roles in Peep Show and The IT Crowd.
Most interesting is the set: sand dunes inspired by a Namibian ghost town fill the family’s Connecticut home, illustrating the passing of time by shifting to make way for furniture or a lake lit by moonlight. This is perhaps what evokes the most feeling.
7/10
