Showing @ Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 08 Feb @ 19:45

The reason that the so-called Generation Y is so miserable, lies in the difference between expectation and reality. Constantly reminded that “they don’t know they’re born” from generations before them, Generation Y has learned to live in the moment, grabbing the metaphorical bull by more than just the horns. Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama looks behind the closed doors of the Tyrone family, at their helpless disappointment.

Over the course of one day, the seemingly robust Tyrone family fracture. Father James (Paul Shelley) reflects over his lost acting career, while mother Mary (Diana Kent) delves deeper into her morphine addiction to escape the truths of her past. Sons James (Adam Best) and Edmund (Timothy N. Evers) struggle to see the possibilities in the future amid alcoholism and illness.

Tony Cownie’s production is subdued and subtle, but it builds steadily – the characters almost dragged by the inevitable passage of time to the end of the day, with the prospect of tomorrow offering little hope. The text is dense and the characters are deep; while there’s very little plot, a great deal of emotional obstacles are overcome. O’Neill’s play explores a wealth of themes: the failing of the American dream; the role and repression of women; familial expectation, and Cownie gives each its due. Sadly, hope and optimism are short-lived; the relentlessness of life is apparent. Every day is the same, little changes. O’Neill’s characters are dissatisfied with the roles they have played throughout their lives, their conformity to societal norms leading to disappointment. Generation Y has infinitely more potential for and belief in the concept of happiness. 100 years after the play is set, Long Day’s Journey is asking: are we that different to those who have gone before us? Will reality ever meet expectation, and more importantly, are we all destined to be unhappy?