Mass
01 May 2026
Donmar Warehouse
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Mass is currently playing at the Donmar Warehouse until the 6 June. The emotional drama by Fran Kranz is brought to the stage in a sharp 100 minute production in the intimate space of the Donmar, a perfect setting for such a haunting narrative.
Jay and Gail lost their son in a school shooting a number of years back. Today they meet Richard and Linda, parents of the shooter, for a restorative face to face conversation. The two couples sit in a meeting room of an Episcopal church to confront their own feelings and try to gain some understanding of what led to the devastating event.
The stage is dressed up just like a church function room for this show, complete with a little kitchen area off to one side, and stairs leading up to the church proper. It’s a somewhat sterile but inviting set, muted neutral colours and glass doors, a simple table and a few chairs, light streaming from the skylights and bathing the scene in a warm glow, nothing to distract from the narrative itself.
There is so much initial awkwardness, both from the facilitators of the meeting and the four people at the centre of the story. No one knows quite how to approach a difficult meeting like this, and the anxious awkwardness is viscerally palpable through incredible acting throughout. From tiny micro-expressions to choked up voices, every little detail is enrapturing, leaving the audience in a breathless reverie, fully absorbed by a deeply moving narrative.
The stage slowly rotates while the four main characters confront each other and themselves at the table in the middle, spending most of the time seated in place. But this static placement does not make for a static experience, quite the opposite. The words spoken are so fully gripping, there is not a second of dullness distracting the audience. Every movement, every breath, every heavy pause is so significant and moving, it fully immerses and challenges viewers to their core.
The depth and intensity of tremendously touching moments makes for a difficult, but incredibly important and poignant show.
