American playwright Anna Ziegler’s new work is strongest when focusing on the relationship between a middle-aged woman and her step-daughter. The unexpected marriage between Delilah’s father and Jennifer comes too soon for a young undergraduate still grieving for her brilliant mother. The scenario has potential, such a relationship being necessarily layered, but Ziegler dilutes the dramatic impact by throwing in too many complications and making her characters less than believable.
Age gaps are spotlighted, exacerbated by the fact that Jennifer is slightly older than Delilah’s father. More cultural differences come from the women’s nationality and ethnicity (Delilah’s mother was African American). And Delilah is, predictably if understandably, preoccupied with representation and has plenty to say about it. Oh, and the action takes place during the Covid lockdown… so we get some thoughts about that, too.
None of this bad, or boring, but the attempts at humour don’t land and there is nothing very novel. Overall, Evening All Afternoon rambles and feels long. Delilah’s mental health suffers and there are interesting moments when her mother’s ghost haunts her and the young woman becomes dangerous. It gives the actors a lot to work with, and Anastasia Hille and Erin Kellyman both do a great job. But there’s a big problem that neither performer can do much about.
Both Jennifer and Delilah are too close to caricature. Jennifer is the repressed Brit, Delilah the entitled Millennial. One is too meek and mild, the other too selfish. Their monologues aim for profundity, and director Diyan Zora works hard to highlight these moments (we even get light bulbs going up and down). But even if they sometimes talk sense, the efforts to provide subtlety are crass. Jennifer is manipulative and a snooper and Delilah is ill – but this doesn’t mean we like or understand either woman very much. A lack of sympathy makes it hard to bother about the whole play.
Until 11 April 2026
Photo by Marc Brenner