Second Half Productions has today announced the full cast for a new production of Eugene O’Neill’s autobiographical magnum opus Long Day’s Journey into Night, directed by Jeremy Herrin (Best of Enemies).
Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects) will star as matriarch Mary Tyrone alongside Alex Lawther (The End of the F***ing World, Black Mirror) as Edmund, BAFTA award-nominee Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) as James Jr and Louisa Harland (Derry Girls) as Cathleen. They join Emmy award-winning actor Brian Cox (Succession) who will play James Tyrone, in his first West End role in almost a decade.
Long Day’s Journey into Night will begin previews at Wyndham’s Theatre from 19 March 2024 with opening night on Tuesday 2 April 2024. Fifty seats at £25 will be available for every performance throughout the run. Tickets go on general sale from 10am on 11 May, with priority booking open from 10am today.
Often regarded as the greatest American play of the 20th Century, O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning piece depicts a summer day in the life of the Tyrones, closely based on O’Neill’s own dysfunctional family. Moving and inspiring in equal measure, O’Neill’s masterpiece is a compelling story of love, hate, betrayal, addiction and the impossible fragility of family bonds.
Following his recent acclaimed production of Best of Enemies, Jeremy Herrin’s new production will bring into sharp focus the universality of O’Neill’s beautifully crafted characters and language. Long Day’s Journey into Night is designed by Lizzie Clachan with further creative team to be announced.
Patricia Clarkson says: “Mary Tyrone is a complex and multifaceted woman—a gift for any actor to play. I’m thrilled to be returning to the West End with this brilliant cast and director. I look forward to tackling this great American play.”
Brian Cox says: “It has long been an ambition of mine to play Eugene O’Neill’s flawed patriarch James Tyrone, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to do so on a West End stage. I’m a great admirer of Jeremy Herrin’s work and I am looking forward to us delving into O’Neill’s masterpiece together.”
Alex Lawther says: “I can’t wait to discover O’Neill’s beautiful final play with this brilliant cast and team, and to be doing so under Jeremy’s direction – a director I have had the joy of working with once before and have been hoping to do so again, since.”
Daryl McCormack says: “It has been a dream of mine to bring this play to life, since I first read it as a student more than ten years ago. To be accompanied by such talented actors and have a brilliant director in Jeremy, it is a true gift. I eagerly await the work that is ahead of us in reviving this magnificently tragic and haunting play.”
Jeremy Herrin says: “A great play is always relevant and ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ is, it’s often argued, the greatest play of the 20th Century. With its searing honesty and blistering depth of emotion, it must be up there.
What is impossible to argue with is that we have the best cast and, in Lizzie Clachan, one of the most exciting designers in the country, to discover what makes O’Neill’s masterwork relevant for now.
I can’t wait to bring this classic to life. I anticipate a feast of fine acting and vivid performances in what I hope to be a high definition production.”
Long Day’s Journey into Night is at Wyndham’s Theatre from 19th March to 8th June 2024. More information can be found here.
