Long Day's Journey into Night

Long Day's Journey into Night is a drama in four acts by Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953)[1]

Sometimes wrongly written A Long Day's Journey into Night

The original text

A powerful play about a disintegrating family, based on the author's own relationship with his parents and brother. Considered by many to be O'Neill's masterpiece and one of the greatest plays of the 20th century.

Originally written in 1939-41, the play was only performed after O'Neill's death. It had its premiere in Royal Dramatic Theatre Stockholm, Sweden, in February of 1956 and then opened on Broadway in November of the same year.

The text was first published by Jonathan Cape, 1956, O'Neill receiving the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Drama posthumously for it

Translations and adaptations

The play has been widely translated, and has seen award-winning performances all over the world.

Translated into Afrikaans as Lang Dagreis na die Nag by André P. Brink.

It has been filmed a number of times, the first time in 1962, directed by Sidney Lumet with Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr., Dean Stockwell and Jeanne Barr.

Performance history in South Africa

1958: First performed in South Africa at the Hofmeyr Theatre and the Intimate Theatre, Johannesburg, by Leonard Schach and the Cockpit Players from October. Starred Joan Blake, John McKelvey, Leon Gluckman, Paddy Canavan and Nigel Hawthorne. Decor by Bruce Palmer.

1970: The Brink Afrikaans translation was produced at the Breytenbach Theatre, Pretoria, by PACT and opened on 27 July, directed by Leonard Schach. In the cast were Louis van Niekerk (James Tyrone), Tine Balder (Mary Tyrone), Schalk Jacobsz (James Tyrone Jr.), Don Lamprecht (Edmund Tyrone) and Annette Engelbrecht (Cathleen). Decor by Richard Cook, costumes by Patricia Slavin.

1973: The Space from 28 March 1973, directed by Bill Tanner with Bill Flynn, Roshel Malbin, Peter Piccolo, Percy Sieff and Yvonne Bryceland). Stage director Jeff Shapiro, stage manager, props and lighting control by Beryl Berman, lighting designed by Brian Astbury and Bill Tanner.

1975: Presented by NAPAC at the Alhambra Theatre, directed by Frank Shelley, from 1 September 1975.

1978: Barney Simon directed a revival of the play for The Company starring Joe Stewardson, Shelagh Holliday, Danny Keogh, Lesley Nott and Ron Smerczak at The Market Theatre. Stage and costume design was by Johan Engels, lighting design by Mannie Manim.

1989: Presented by CAPAB Drama directed by Ralph Lawson opening at the Nico Malan Theatre 18 April. Decor by Peter Cazalet, costumes Birrie le Roux, lighting Malcolm Hurrell. The cast: Patrick Mynhardt (James Tyrone), Diane Wilson (Mary Cavan Tyrone), David Clatworthy (James Tyrone, Jr.), André Roothman (Edmund Tyrone), Belinda Koning (Cathleen).

2008: Marthinus Basson directed and designed the Afrikaans text for Vleis, Rys en Aartappels and the KKNK, starring Antoinette Kellermann en Marius Weyers, Stian Bam and Gustav Gerdener. This production won a number of awards.

2015: A student production of Long Day's Journey into Night by the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department was directed by Marthinus Basson at the H.B. Thom Theatre with Ilse-Lee Van Niekerk, Dean Smith, François Maree, Emile Tredoux, Isabel Bella Burger. 15 and 16 October 2015.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_O%27Neill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Day%27s_Journey_into_Night

PACT theatre programme, 1970.

Inskip, 1977. p 122, 127.

Long Day's Journey into Night theatre programmes, 1973, 1978, 1989.

Programme (NAPAC production) held by NELM: [Collection: KORT, Maurice]: 2012. 379. 20. 39.

Brian Astbury. 1979. The Space/Die Ruimte/Indawo. Cape Town: Moira and Azriel Fine.

Petru & Carel Trichardt theatre programme collection.

Beeld, 23 January 2008

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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