What’s it all about?
They f**k you up, your mum and dad. So said Philip Larkin and Rebecca Gilman, the playwright of this compelling, often harrowing look into the social care system in modern America.
Sharon Small is an overworked, arguably over involved social worker who has been charged with the case of 19-year-old parents and crystal meth users Karlie and Peter. With a God-fearing nurse grandmother waiting in the wings to take charge of six month old Luna Gale, the case for who can offer a better home may at first seem clear cut, but as the play accelerates through an explosive series of devastating events, it’s anything but.
Who’s in it?
Small is, as ever, sensational as Caroline. We first meet her as an imposing, no nonsense, capable woman who inspires both fear and reassurance from the people whose fates she holds – in part at least – in the palm of her hand. It is this terrifying responsibility, however, that lies at the source of the cracks that soon splinter their overwhelming way through her core.
Chipping away at the cracks is her cringingly patronising manager Cliff, played with the perfect touch of passive aggression by Ed Hughes. As the weights on her shoulders, Rachel Redford is unpredictable and brittle as the firecracker mother Karlie while Alexander Arnold stands out as a name to watch with his impressive – fittingly jittery – and often heartbreakingly touching performance as Luna’s father.
What should I look out for?
The moment you realise Caroline Faber’s evangelical Cindy is not quite the perfectly balanced grandmother you thought she was. Gilman’s play will have you questioning your own prejudices as her religious proclamations split the audience’s reactions.
The moment when the zealous, well-meaning Pastor Jay (Corey Johnson) delivers the most terribly misjudged line about God’s love creeping up on you. It’s a moment of equally creepy genius from Gilman.
In a nutshell?
Sharon Small is compelling in this absorbing, sometimes harrowing look into the social care system in modern America.
What’s being said on Twitter?
@TJEG Fantastic production of #LunaGale @Hamps_Theatre last night, the story, the wonderful actors, a brilliant evening!
@miriskusnik #LunaGale at @Hamps_Theatre is excellent – utterly involving & compassionate towards its complex characters, well portrayed by a great cast
Will I like it?
Michael Attenborough’s production is absorbing and the two hours zip by, but this isn’t easy watching. If you like your dramas with plenty of shades of grey, then this is for you; nothing is clear cut and your judgements will change scene by scene, making it a fascinating journey. And while it may be dark, it may be depressing and it may even feel hopeless for this vital but fatally stretched – both financially and emotionally – system at times, hold on for that one moment of true hope. Maybe they don’t always f**k us up after all.
Luna Gale is playing until 18 July. You can book tickets through us the Hampstead Theatre website.