Florian Zeller is a prolific French
writer who has made his presence felt in England and elsewhere in the last few
years. He has written a trilogy about the family appropriately titled The
Father, The Mother and The Son. The Father was
produced last winter by Coal Mine Theatre, but I am not aware of other productions
of his plays in Toronto.
The Son premiered
in London last February at the Kiln Theatre and has now transferred to the Duke
of York’s Theatre in the West End.
Zeller is a master of writing linear,
apparently simple narratives that are dramatic and effective and
extraordinarily moving. He always manages to hide a punch for the end, and it makes
for exceptional theatre. All his plays are translated into English by the inimitable
Christopher Hampton.
John Light (Pierre),
Amanda Abbington (Anne) and
Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas). Photo: Marc Brenner
When the play opens Anne has just
found out that Nicolas has not attended school for several months while
pretending to do so. He walks around doing basically nothing except pretending
to attend classes.
The parents try to figure out
Nicolas’s problems as he goes to live with his father and some tensions are
created with Sofia. We realize slowly the depth of Nicolas’s emotional issues
and watch his parents desperately trying to help. He ends up in a psychiatric
facility. I will not give you any more details for fear of spoiling the plot
especially the end of the play.
The plot is developed slowly but
with a firm hand by the author and director Michael Longhurst. The scene
changes on the single set are quick, fluid and inobtrusive. What counts is the
narrative.
Kynaston does an excellent job as
the disturbed teenager. He is basically lost and does not know why he is living.
No one can reach the root of his troubles if in fact it is reachable. He has
emotional outbursts coupled with manipulative behaviour and some acts of
violence. A fine performance.
Abbington and Light as the
separated couple bear the bitterness and scars of separation while trying to
help their son. There are subliminal and expressed emotional currents that are
dramatic and touching. Zeller creates sympathetic characters rather than being
judgmental. Okafor as the new partner Sofia is asked by Nicolas the pointed
question: did she know Pierre was married when she met him?
Nicolas ends up in a psychiatric
hospital that he hates, and the parents must choose between professional advice
of a doctor (Martin Turner) and the pleas of their son to take him home. No
parent should ever have to make that choice, but they must decide.
The set by Lizzie Clachan is a
simple room, painted white with very little furniture. A door opens at the back
showing a piano to indicate Pierre and Sofia’s apartment. Simple, direct and
effective.
The Son deals with
an apparently simple situation that is in fact complicated and emotionally wrenching.
The production provides a highly moving and superb evening at the theatre.
_________
The Son by Florian Zeller in a translation by
Christopher Hampton continues until November 2, 2019 at the Duke of York’s
Theatre, 104 St. Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4BG.
James Karas is the Senior Editor - Culture of The Greek Press. greekpress.ca
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