Mass Review: Powerful but Flawed Drama on Grief and Reconciliation

Fran Kranz's stage adaptation of his 2021 film Mass arrives at the Donmar Warehouse, offering a powerful yet flawed exploration of grief and reconciliation. The play centers on two sets of parents meeting years after a high school shooting, attempting to find common ground amidst their shared tragedy.

The Setup

The production begins with seemingly extraneous scenes featuring church hall staff preparing for the meeting. Rochelle Rose plays Kendra, the facilitator, with an icy American efficiency that feels both passive-aggressive and oddly disconnected from the main narrative. These bookend characters, while well-acted, detract from the core drama.

The Core Conflict

Four exceptional British actors portray the parents: Adeel Akhtar as forcedly cheerful Jay, Lyndsey Marshal as his brittle wife Gail, Monica Dolan as subdued Linda, and Paul Hilton as her broken-down husband Richard. The opening ambiguity about which couple lost a child and which lost the shooter underscores the play's central theme: both sets of parents are engulfed in profound grief, and dehumanizing the shooter's parents as accomplices is ultimately reductive.

—

Wide Pickt banner — collaborative shopping lists app for Telegram, phone mockup with grocery list

Kranz's script deftly establishes a pre-existing relationship between the two couples, who have exchanged letters and endured court proceedings but never spoken directly. The initial pleasantries give way to a fiery, tender exchange of hurt, rage, and regret as they share stories of their children and agonize over what could have been different.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The performances are nuanced and powerful, supported by Anna Yates' subtly revolving set. The play excels in depicting suppressed emotions—two couples forcing themselves to do the right thing in hopes of finding peace. However, the distracting bookend characters and moments of preachiness regarding gun control feel out of place in a British context.

Comparisons to James Graham's Olivier-winning Punch are inevitable. While Mass delivers devastating peaks, it lacks the cultural relevance and overall strength of Graham's restorative justice drama. Despite its flaws, Mass remains a compelling study of grief and the human capacity for empathy.