Ah, Wilderness!, Young Vic ****

Ah, Wilderness hasn't been treated well by the critics. Whatsonstage.com even went as far as giving the production one star, a misfortune that is very rarely given out. Therefore, I went in to the theatre expecting the worst production of a play that could possibly be imagined. I came out confused. Did I just see the same show as the critics? Yes, parts are misjudged. The sand seems to have escaped from the previous production of Happy Days to flood the set of this production and the role of Eugene O' Neil watching over the family to signify the nostalgia. It seems to be an attempt to subvert what is essentially frothy fun. Despite this, even Abrahami's slightly dodgy direction can't hide the beautiful, funny and warm story and the wonderful actors telling it perfectly. I am awful in recognizing bad accents but the accents here seemed OK to me. George Mackay is just wonderful as an adolescent that feels slightly too real and relevant for me. Jamie Dee is also great as a conservative mother who has genuine heart. Yasmin Paige isn't quite as marvellous as I would like as her performance feels shrill and annoying and not in a good way. The rest of the cast, though, are good and the overall result leaves you feeling fuzzy and warm inside.