A Moon for the Misbegotten at Almeida Theatre

A Moon for the Misbegotten at Almeida Theatre | Theatre review

28^th June 2025

28 June 2025

Irish-American playwright Eugene O’Neill’s drama A Moon for the Misbegotten is set in Connecticut during 1923, and considered by some to be the sequel to Long Day’s Journey into Night. In the playwright’s final piece, Jim Tyrone is intended as the older version of Jamie Tyrone (both based on O’Neill’s brother), here played by a perfectly cast Michael Shannon, performing the troubled character opposite Ruth Wilson’s witty and hardened Josie.

Taking place in a dilapidated wooden farmhouse, Josie lives and works with her alcoholic father, Phil Hogan (a credible David Threlfall in the role). As the last of her brothers, Mike, leaves for good, one gets a sense that their father is not the easiest man to live with. Throwing in a few insults on his way out, Josie is more than capable of handling both her brother and their ranting, drunken father, toughened due to her circumstances. And landlord Jim is no different, also liking whisky a drop too many. There is a pertinent chemistry between the ball-busting Josie and Jim, both hiding behind facades to protect themselves and prevent them from getting too close to the person who ultimately loves them, flaws and all.

One evening, when Jim and Phil are drinking together in a bar, the latter seems to believe that his landlord will sell the farm, to which he responds with a scheme with Josie where she will seduce Jim and they’ll be caught in the act. Unbeknownst to her, Josie soon realises that Jim has no intention of betraying her or her father. Shannon and Wilson’s chemistry is the real deal, whereby you are left rooting for the two characters to end up together. When he opens up to her about his grief over his mother’s death, it is one of the most poignant and heartbreakingly beautiful scenes, with the stage light slowly rotating, giving the impression of a moonlit night. We yearn for them as much as they yearn for each other, but their will-they, won’t-they situation is what O’Neill utilises to give the play much of its plot and rhythm. There is abundant lyricism alongside very witty lines in the playwright’s dialogue, making the piece timeless as well as readily watchable.

A lot of the drama revolves around deception, longing, and the choice to hide one’s true feelings, whether it’s Phil and his intoxicated schemes or Josie and Jim, but it is ultimately their flawed characters that make them so relatable. Additionally, London-based music group Nyx provide an evocative soundscape that perfectly aligns with O‘Neill’s work, haunting and beguiling in equal measure, often reminiscent of the film scores of Thomas Newman.

Director Rebecca Frecknall, along with the entire production team, capture the melancholy and ardent desire at the core of A Moon for the Misbegotten, while the cast provides a masterclass in acting through a piece that lingers long after curtain close.

★★★★★

Selina Begum
Photos: Marc Brenner

A Moon for the Misbegotten is at Almeida Theatre from 18^th June until 16^th August 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.