An American in the Wilderness

For her production of Eugene O’Neill’s_ Ah, Wilderness!_ director Natalie Abrahami, who returns to the Young Vic after her success of Happy Days, seems to have taken the title rather literally. Wilderness invades the quiet Connecticut home at the heart of the tale, both metaphorically and literally; the sands of time take on a physical quality, pouring in through the open doors, and obscuring the humble family home in a miasma of uncertainty. An effective staging device it may be, but the overall effect is to create a play that is all too cerebral when compared to the warm script.

O’Neill’s only comedy, written just three years before he won the Nobel Prize for literature, Ah, Wilderness! takes its name from a refrain of the Persian poem, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, which is among a selection of works adored by the central character Richard Miller (George MacKay) - a headstrong, volatile high schooler going through the pains of young love and reckless rebellion. Set on the Fourth of July, 1906, Ah, Wilderness! shows the bittersweet nature of youth, and acts as a meditation on the nature of memory, but above all serves as a warm family drama, in which comedy by far outweighs the tragic elements.

At least, that is the impression one gets from the script. For the Young Vic’s production there seems to have been a decision to take a more serious route, portentously emphasising the unhappiness of O’Neill’s life;_ Ah, Wilderness!_ becomes much more about the inner turmoil of the writer, rather than an exploration of family life and relationships. While the relationship Richard has with his parents, Nat (Martin Marquez) and Essie (Janie Dee), is firm but nurturing, O’Neill’s actual childhood was far from happy: ‘unwanted, no love or tenderness, no care, no protection!’, wrote his widow, Carlotta Monterey, following his death. And thus, Ah, Wilderness! is transformed into a heavy melodrama, in which the older Richard (played by David Annen, in what is clearly meant to be an imitation of the older O’Neill, who by this point had turned to the bottle) surveys every scene, occasionally commenting or giving stage directions. This addition isn’t quite intrusive, but is never not noticeable - Annen floats on the peripheries, dancing around the action at the centre, in a role that adds little to the overall production.

Judging from her last production - Happy Days, in which Juliet Stevenson is buried up to her neck in dirt - Abrahami seems to have a thing for the earth, a reputation that is only confirmed by the expanse of sand that covers the stage. A collaboration with designer Dick Bird, this intervention generally works very well, creating a strange new landscape, through which the characters traverse unsteadily, and adding another layer of meaning to the foundation of the script. However, there are moments when it doesn’t quite come together - the scene at the ‘house of sin’ for instance, where Richard goes after being spurned by his young lover, resembles more a nightclub than a speakeasy, and is jarring to say the least. However, there are also moments of sheer magic within the setting, and the final act is really something to behold.

With such an attempt to add in high drama to what should be a comedy tinged with melancholy, Ah, Wilderness! runs the risk of turning into a stony Ibsenesque production, or perhaps a Chekhovian melodrama. However, the lightness and vivacity of the acting talent saves the day: MacKay, fresh from his cinematic turn in Pride, is impressive as Richard, imbuing the character with a fiery heart and a self-assured exterior that belies the romantic within. Dee is excellent as his long-suffering mother, proving that maternal love is limitlessly extensible, as is Susannah Wise, who plays Aunt Lily, trapped between her love for Sid Davis (Dominic Rowan, who fills the role with aplomb) and her hatred for his drinking.

While the staging and the direction may tend to sand off the edge of humour and deaden the comedic lightness, this production of Ah, Wilderness! still manages to be entertaining, proving that - no matter what happens - the brilliance of O’Neill’s writing will still shine through. Abrahami and Bird should be congratulated for their radical interpretation of the play, which is certainly creative and new, but the real congratulations should go to the faultless ensemble cast, who show us that wilderness can be paradise.

Ah, Wilderness! is on at the Young Vic until the 23rd May. Tickets from £10. Available online