We round up the reviews for this stage adaptation of Fran Kranz’s film.
The Guardian: “The play works on two levels: as a drama of forgiveness and of polarisation. What would happen if any of us sat down with those at the furthest ideological extreme from our own, however unpalatable their views? Listening is the pathway towards empathy for these characters, even if there is desire for vengeance or vindication along the way. By the end, they are all parents who have lost sons, grieving over this tragedy in different ways.”
The Reviews Hub: “Fran Kranz’s writing refuses easy answers and instead sits in the uncomfortable grey areas of parental responsibility. The play probes the impossibility of tracing the origins of violence, the anguish of perceived negligence and the tension between unconditional love and the consequences of a child’s actions. At its best, Mass is a mesmerising fusion of incisive writing and extraordinary performances. Yet the overly protracted opening and a slightly underwhelming conclusion dilute some of its overall impact.”
The Standard: “Akhtar is superb as ordinary-Joe Jay, folksy but with a short fuse, and so is Marshall as the wilted, exhausted Gail. Dolan vibrates throughout with anxiety like a plucked string, and Hilton is drawn and harrowed, like an animated but sometimes defensive corpse. Linda and Richard’s marriage broke up after their son’s crime and their body language under Cracknell’s direction is a masterclass in attempted and abandoned consolation.”
WhatsOnStage: “Towards the close, lighting designer Guy Hoare floods the space with late-afternoon sunlight, and a choir sings offstage, underscoring the sense of peace. It could be corny, but it is the achievement of this outstanding production that it feels so momentous. Both characters and audience have earned that moment of release.”
The Stage: :”Sublime performances elevate this emotive restorative-justice drama.”
The Telegraph: “Despite fine performances, Mass, Fran Kranz’s play about the fallout of a school shooting, feels lightweight.”
London Theatre. co.uk: “Kranz doesn’t attempt to weigh in with unfounded answers, but as time progresses and warm chinks of light begin to glow more brightly through the A-frame roof of Yates’s set, a quiet point is made about the power of reconciliation.”
The Arts Desk: “Cracknell, fresh from her triumph with Arcadia at the Old Vic, marshals all of this with economy and precision, deftly introducing some unexpected catharsis and a glimpse of value, in this bleak encounter, for the young lad watching from the wings.”
Time Out: “There is fine, nuanced acting work all round. It’s accentuated by Anna Yates’ subtly revolving set. And the cast have a lot to work with in Krantz’s text, which is a study in powerfully suppressed emotions: two couples who on some level want to scream at each other instead forcing themselves to do the right thing in the hope it’ll bring some sort of peace.”
Theatre Weekly: “Mass holds the audience in rapt, forward-leaning attention. Like its film counterpart, it leaves you shaken, reflective and emotionally spent. Yet in the Donmar’s close confines, the experience feels even more immediate and confronting. This is theatre that offers no easy answers, but in its honesty, restraint and devastating performances, it achieves something quite extraordinary.”
Broadway World: “The intimacy of the 250-seater Donmar Theatre is perfect for Mass. We’re up close with the actors, witnessing pain, horror and guilt etched on their faces. Their pain is our pain, as it is everyone’s pain when a mass school shooting occurs. But there’s hope towards the end of this remarkable play when the parents creep towards some kind of uneasy empathy in a spiritual space – and that reckoning is exquisite to behold.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.donmarwarehouse.com/events/mass/