Fog, thunder, lightening, then it rains on the stage and the stage tilts, and the sailors fall off one by one. Suddenly, lo and behold, Jude Law’s miraculous arms start pulling at the rope (what a hunk), defeating wind and rain (and tilt) and he is submerged from the roaring sea onto the stage. This is Anna Christie performed at the Donmar Warehouse. A wonderful performance. But it’s not just Jude Law’s thunderous performance that makes this a spectacular show. Yes. He yells. He throws furniture around. He breaks a chair. Simply, he acts the role of an Irish sailor to perfection. But he’s supported by a wonderful cast as well. I was impressed by Ruth Wilson playing Anna Christie. This woman captured all her audience, perfecting the accent and the behavior of a true Anna Christie. Strong. Willful. And not too shy to be as loud as Mat the Irish sailor.
For those unfamiliar with O’Neill, this is a play about Anna leaving the land and coming into sea as the land seems to betray her. As a child, her father left her in a farm in the care of relatives as he saw the sea to be too treacherous a place to raise a little girl. What he doesn’t know, or doesn’t wish to know, is that her life in the farm was anything but safe. After being harassed by her cousin for a couple of years, she finally leaves the farm and finds her only chance of a life is one in which she is a prostitute in a brothel. When that life wears her out, she decides to seek her father who she hasn’t seen for 15 years. On the night of that gripping storm, she meets Mat and gradually the relationship develops with Mat proposing, and Anna refusing on grounds of her past. Reluctant to tell Mat about her past, but driven in a moment of anger insinuated by her father, she confesses and loses Mat, if temporarily.
But the play isn’t about a girl repenting after a life of prostitution. This is not a moral play after all. At least that’s not how it is on this stage. Chris boldly displays her anger at the two men in her life, making her more than a typical image of a repentant woman. When father and lover claim her as theirs, she frantically pushes both of them aside and declares she is no man’s woman. Mat refers to her Viking blood in the play and this is the best time it shows itself. This is definitely not a woman repenting for her sins. Though aware and regretful of her past life, she is not to be put down. This is a great play. And watching it on the intimate Donmar Warehouse (in spite of only managing to get a standing ticket) was an experience well worth this recommendation.
It isn’t often that I get to see actors well known for their studio performances act on stage. These are the moments that prove a good actor. And in this, I would grade Jude Law a great actor in a performance that, in its vitality, reminds me of watching Meryl Streep perform Mother Courage in Central Park. But this is also a play that introduced me to the wonderful Ruth Wilson.
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