Definitely powerful, possibly predictable

Donmar Warehouse

Fran Kranz’s Mass, receiving its world premiere at The Donmar, is based on his film of the same name. WhatsOnStage said ‘the immense courage of people who, in real life, attempt to reach forgiveness and understanding is the propulsion for the play’. The people in question are two couples who have both lost their sons in a mass shooting, and meet in attempt at reconciliation. The critics agreed it was a gut wrenching evening, with credit given to the four lead actors: Adeel Akhtar, Monica Dolan, Paul Hilton and Lyndsey Marshal. Director Carrie Cracknell was also praised for the intensity of the production. They disagreed about the script: masterful’ (LondonTheatre), ‘predictable ‘ (The Stage).

5 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

WhatsOnStage‘s Sarah Crompton was impressed: ‘Four people sit around a table and talk. Franz Kranz’s lacerating play Mass is built from the simplest and least theatrical of ingredients. Yet in this production, thanks to the skill of director Carrie Cracknell and the intense naturalism of its cast, it becomes something very special.’ She continued: ‘once the characters begin to speak, the essential communion of theatre works its alchemical power; it is impossible not to listen and feel the terrible moral dilemma that gradually unfolds.’ She described the lead performers in detail: ‘Akhtar makes Jay a man who is being eaten from the inside by his anger and his sense of injustice…Hilton’s Richard is similarly hollow…Dolan creates a portrait of a woman in whom sadness is stretched to breaking point…Her entire body seems taut with pain…As Gail, Marshal is equally powerful. Her face seems made of glass, emotions passing across it as she listens intently to everything that is being said.’

Cheryl Markosky for BroadwayWorld described it as ‘simple, but also searingly powerful’. She explained: ‘What it comes down to is a thoughtful script, excellent direction and brilliant performances from all of the actors. They’re all commendable ­– although Dolan is particularly phenomenal as a trembling wreck about to fall apart at any second.’ She found ‘The intimacy of the 250-seater Donmar Theatre is perfect for Mass. We’re up close with the actors, witnessing pain, horror and guilt etched on their faces. Their pain is our pain’.

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar said: ‘It is hard to beat the force and sensitive performances of Kranz’s film but Hilton is masterfully brittle, his entire being sunken with apology, while Dolan is whey-faced and shaky. The always brilliant Akhtar is angrier and edgier than his film counterpart and Marshal brings a moving softness.’

The Independent‘s Alice Saville called it ‘an agonisingly intense, beautifully performed study of a couple’s search for forgiveness.’ She concluded that the play ‘really does shine on the Donmar’s small stage, where an audience can see close-up how a single space shifts from an impersonal meeting place into an almost spiritual site of reconciliation. Words are never enough, but they can still reduce a room to tears.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Holly O’Mahony for LondonTheatre declared: ‘It’s a masterful piece of writing from Kranz: every utterance counts, and each line is a turn of a cog that keeps this grim yet poignant narrative moving.’ On the other hand: ‘However, Carrie Cracknell’s production can feel hands-off, perhaps through an intention to let the text breathe. Unlike James Graham’s Punch, which also tells a story of restorative justice, but paints a fuller picture beyond the brave meeting at its centre, here we really do just watch two sets of parents hash things out at length, which grows monotonous.’

While calling it ‘powerful stuff, for Time Out‘s Andrzej Lukowski also made the comparison: ‘the elephant in the room is James Graham’s recent Olivier-winning play Punch. The plot isn’t identical to Mass. But his Nottingham-set restorative justice drama about a killer confronting his victim’s parents is undoubtedly in the same ballpark, and it’s simply a stronger, more culturally relevant play.’

The Times’ Clive Davis thought: ‘The Donmar Warehouse is the perfect place to see a play as stark as this. The audience sit uncomfortably close to the actors, and an almost imperceptible slow revolve on Anna Yates’s set ensures that we have ample time to study the characters’ anguished reactions (…)It’s almost like reading a real-life transcript, which is both the strength and the weakness of the piece.’

The Stage‘s Sam Marlowe had a problem: ‘once we’ve got to grips with the premise, the drama can only really move in one fairly predictable direction, via pretty much all the emotional milestones you’d expect.’ Having said that, ‘Carrie Cracknell’s production is immaculate – delicate, raw, finely calibrated and faultlessly acted by a stunning cast. The sheer force of the human pain and helplessness laid before us lends the writing a propulsive power.’

Claire Allfree for the Telegraph felt let down:  ‘It’s wrenching to watch, and beautifully performed’ she said, but ‘Kranz’s play draws superficially on the moral complexity of restorative justice, but in truth merely takes the audience through the emotional gears.’  In summing up, she said it strives ‘for emotional impact at the expense of genuinely provocative ideas.’

Nick Curtis’ review in The Standard began promisingly: ‘This gruelling play…is a sincere exploration of a process of restorative justice following a US school shooting. The stage version is realised with crystalline focus by Carrie Cracknell and acted with deep, pressing conviction by a central quartet of fine actors.’ However: ‘it’s too slick, too facile, a neat emotional workout for actors and an easy win for a smugly liberal audience.’ As for the hopeful ending: ‘it feels lazy and hollow.’

Critics’ average rating 3.6⭑

The Mass can be seen at the Donmar Warehouse until 6 June 2026. Buy tickets directly from the theatre

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