Fran Kranz's 2021 film Mass, which depicts two sets of parents whose sons died in a high-school massacre, was originally conceived as a play. Now staged at the Donmar Warehouse in a production directed by Carrie Cracknell, it unfolds in the backroom of a church, where an across-the-table encounter embodies a painful instance of restorative justice.
A Painful Encounter
Gail (Lyndsey Marshal) and Jay (Adeel Akhtar) are the parents of Evan, one of ten children murdered by the teenage shooter, Hayden. Hayden, the son of Richard (Paul Hilton) and Linda (Monica Dolan), subsequently took his own life. Evan's parents seek to understand the motives behind such violence, yet an unspoken undercurrent of blame permeates the room. Hayden's parents address this first, expressing their own relentless self-blame. They tentatively propose the notion of separating who their son was from what he did.
Stark and Unflinching
The stark, unflinching treatment of the subject matter is well realised on Anna Yates's set, where two office-style storeys stretch across the stage. The production does not sugarcoat the emotionally messy nature of the process, exploring both sides of the tragedy. One particularly charged moment comes when Linda recalls a threatening memory of her son, evoking the emotional territory of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Kranz's script deftly swerves away from debates on gun violence. Gail makes it clear that the parents have not come to discuss politics but to engage on a much more personal level. Like Jack Thorne's Adolescence, the play also highlights the issue of troubled teenage boys who retreat into online silos.
Powerful Performances
While it is hard to surpass the force and sensitivity of the film's performances, Hilton is masterfully brittle, his entire being sunken with apology. Dolan is whey-faced and shaky, while the always brilliant Akhtar brings a greater anger and edge than his film counterpart. Marshal adds a moving softness to the proceedings.
Like the film, the play takes time to build intensity, beginning with awkward arrangements and small talk. However, unlike the film, which occasionally pulls away from the claustrophobia and pain, here there is no escape. The audience is compelled to remain in the room, confronting the raw emotions head-on.
Two Levels of Drama
The play operates on two levels: as a drama of forgiveness and as a study of polarisation. It poses the question of what might happen if any of us were to sit down with those holding the most extreme ideological views, however unpalatable. Listening becomes the pathway towards empathy for these characters, even as they grapple with desires for vengeance or vindication. By the end, they are all parents who have lost sons, grieving over this tragedy in different ways.
Mass is at the Donmar Warehouse, London, until 6 June.
