My Name is Lucy Barton

by Elizabeth Strout adapted by Rona Munro

seen at the Bridge Theatre on 4 February 2019

Laura Linney stars in Richard Eyre's production of this play adapted from Elizabeth Strout's novel of the same name. She had a very successful run at the Bridge last year, which was sold out before I felt motivated to see it, and so has agreed to a short revival this year.

It's a demanding 90-minute monologue in which Lucy's story, and her reflections on the nature of story telling and the need to recognise what one's own story is, is revealed as she recalls the nine weeks she had to spend in hospital after an appendectomy, and the difficult reunion between herself and her mother who decided to visit her in the hospital (a first visit from rural Illinois to New York).

I haven't read the novel; what struck me about this version was the uncertainty surrounding Lucy's childhood traumas. Were they such as any poor child might have, or were they worse (ie, more abusive)? It's a clever move, I think, to make Lucy still unable to articulate some points of her story, rather than imbuing her with complete self-awareness and masterful articulacy. It rendered the pain of her family dynamics all the more powerful in that resolutions - so often the staple of modern drama - were extremely hard, if not actually impossible, to come by. Some wounds and terrors just don't go away no matter how much one reflects upon them and tries to interpret the sheer mystery of other people, even, and especially, one's own parents.

Laura Linney gives a superb performance, able to hold our unflagging interest throughout. She is helped in this by Rona Munro's decision to have her 'play' her mother in the hospital room, so that we get our own impression of this strong prejudiced woman. The two voices, Lucy's and her mother's, allow for a necessary variety of tone and intonation, even as we remain aware that we are still viewing her mother through Lucy's own recollection of these events at least a decade later.

It's a very stimulating production, once again showcasing the versatility of the Bridge as a performing space. This time, there was a thrust stage with the audience on three sides - quite challenging for only a single performer, but the challenge was triumphantly met.