Sometimes, it takes two times
to realize even more than it just takes one second to…
But let’s not put the cart
before the horse, all right? And the difficult thing here will be to convince
you to go to Duke of York’s to see The
Son without giving too much away. Maybe the best way is to do this through
feelings. And that’s exactly what The Son
is about. Feelings.
The story is about Nicolas, a
teenage boy – played by Laurie Kynaston - going through the divorce of his
parents with a troubled mind, to say the least. And, we, the audience, are
joining this family as a discreet witness of what will end up being a
rollercoaster ride of emotions.
The play starts with a
conversation between Nicolas’ parents: Anne, the mother (Amanda Abbington),
tells Pierre, the father (John Light), that she’s concerned about their son as
he’s been skipping school for three months. From there and for a while, the mother
leaves their son in care of his father, his step-mother (Amaka Okafor) and
half-brother and we follow Nicolas through his new life in another home.
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| Amanda Abbington (Anne), Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) & John Light (Pierre) |
It’s a common thing to say
that teenage years are not the easiest one has to go through in his or her
life. For both sides. The “child” starts writing the new chapter of his life
while the parents have to learn to let their baby boy or girl takes the path to
adulthood.
But sometimes, writing your
story is a little bit more difficult for some.
 |
| Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) |
For 105 minutes, I literally tried
to enter inside each character’s mind and put myself into their shoes.
As a child, trying to explain
to your parents how bad you feel while not being entirely sure that they
actually care.
As a parent, trying to
understand your son while not being entirely sure that all he’s telling you he
the absolute truth.
As a mother-in-law, trying to
trust and getting to know this young stranger while not being entirely sure
that he even wants it.
The play may seem dark but
there’s a fine balance with lighter moments too. One few sentences that makes
you smile or laugh or one scene where Nicolas seems to escape his melancholy to
join his father and Sofia in a joyful moment. Director Michael Longhurst
brought his own balance of fun and fragility by using two songs: Pharrell Williams’
Happy and the famous Adagio in G minor, the latter one being, in my opinion,
one of the most emotional pieces of classical music ever written. And these two
were perfect choices!
People have praised Laurie
Kynaston’s performance, for all good reasons. Being the catalyst of all things
happening during the play, he’s the one whose emotions affect not only him but
everyone around him. Quite a pressure, eh? But it surely doesn’t look like too
much to handle for the young actor who embodies his character with passion and
respect for those suffering from the same pain as Nicolas’. Kynaston’s is
definitely someone we have to keep our eyes on as I have a strong feeling he
might have a bright career ahead of him…
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| Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) |
His relationship with his
father, played by John Light, is not an easy one. Pierre navigates between his
wish to help his son the best he can and his will to keep his life with Sofia
and their baby serene. Our society still too often sees men as the strong one
in the family, the one who’s supposed to know what to do or all the answers.
Truth is… men are, just as much as women, just human beings filled with flaws,
doubt or any other feelings. Pierre’s role is demanding one given the many
emotions he goes through and John Light’s performance was truly strong and
powerful.
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| John Light (Pierre) & Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) |
I read not too long ago on
some blog that Amanda Abbington and Amaka Okafor were considered as secondary
roles of the story. It’s funny how we all perceive things differently. To me,
they’re not, not even for a second. To me, stage time isn’t what makes a role a
principal or a secondary one : what makes the importance of a character is what
he or she brings to the story, to the emotional moments in a play. In this,
both Amanda and Amaka sure… well… sure “played” their own part and brought life
to Zeller’s play, as well as a dynamic. Into both the father and the son’s
stories. In their own way.
 |
| Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) & Amanda Abbington (Anne) |
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| John Light (Pierre) & Amaka Okafor (Sophia) |
I had already seen The Son back in March at the Kiln
theatre and recently had the opportunity to see it a second time. There are so
many plays and musicals in London that one could think that it’d be a waste of
time but I had my reasons. Until the very end, you wonder what’s written in the
final page of Nicolas’ book. You hope for the best and you fear the worst. And
you literally hold your breath until the lights fade out. And both times, in
complete darkness, I’ve heard the people around me catching their breath again.
What did I feel after seeing
it at the Kiln? So much sadness. Let’s admit it, I was a complete wreck and
couldn’t stop crying. Which is exactly what I want when going to the theatre.
Feel. Whether it is joy or anger or sadness.
What did I feel after seeing
it at the Duke of York’s? Still so much sadness. With another feeling added.
Helplessness. As much as I was looking for hints, for something that would have
turned this story into a different one, I realized that maybe one thing could
have. Or maybe it would have been a waste of time anyway, no matter what. Or…
maybe?
In the end, that’s probably
the biggest lesson I’ve learned after seeing this play: the helplessness and
loneliness one person can feel when suffering from mental illness and the
helplessness those around him feel about wanting to help the loved one and still
not succeeding in it. Like two different worlds that can’t meet at any point.
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| Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) & John Light (Pierre) |
Florian Zeller, The Son’s writer, is considered as one
of the most exciting and talented playwright of his generation. I couldn’t
agree more. The strength of The Son
lies in our biggest fears being out in the open, in some good use of humour but
mostly in the subtlety of his writing. His words, his lines encourage us to ask
ourselves : how would I feel about this “outside” world if I feel like I don’t
fit in it? What would I have done as the mother? As the father? Why?
Now you, yes, you who are reading
these lines, just give The Son a try (or
two?) and let me know. Let me know if, when leaving the theatre, you just got
home without asking yourselves a few questions about life. About Pierre’s.
About Anne’s. About Sofia’s. about Nicolas’. About one of your loved ones’. Or
about… yours? ‘Cos I sure did. And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve loved The Son so much. Enough to see it twice.
 |
| Amaka Okafor (Sophia) |
The Son is still played at Duke of
York’s theatre until November 2nd.
Credit photo: Marc Brenner
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