Michelle Williams Shines in Anna Christie: A 2025 Revival That Sparks Debate

The 2025 Off-Broadway revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie at St. Ann’s Warehouse, directed by Thomas Kail and starring Michelle Williams, has ignited lively discussion among theatergoers and critics. Known for its rare stagings and emotional depth, Anna Christie explores themes of identity, redemption, and familial conflict. While some praise Williams’s nuanced performance and the production’s atmospheric staging, others find the play’s accents, pacing, and period details challenging. This article delves into the production’s highlights, critiques, and enduring significance, offering readers a comprehensive view of this much-discussed revival.

A Rare Revival Brings O’Neill to Brooklyn

Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie, first performed in 1921, remains one of American theater’s most complex works. Its 2025 revival is significant not only because the play is infrequently staged but also because it brings together director Thomas Kail, known for his dynamic theatrical storytelling, and Michelle Williams, whose film and stage credentials promise star power and emotional depth.

The production opened at St. Ann’s Warehouse, a venue known for inventive stagings and intimate audience experiences. Alongside Williams, the cast includes Brian d’Arcy James as Chris Christopherson, Anna’s estranged father, and Tom Sturridge as Mat Burke, a rough sailor who becomes Anna’s love interest. This casting sets the stage for a collision of strong performances and heightened expectations.

By choosing a rarely produced O’Neill work, the revival invites audiences to engage with a story that is both historically rooted and emotionally resonant, a combination that has fueled debate over the play’s contemporary relevance.

Michelle Williams as Anna Christie

Michelle Williams brings a layered, emotionally honest portrayal to the titular role. Critics and audiences have praised her ability to convey Anna’s weariness and vulnerability while also portraying the fire and independence that define her character. Williams navigates the character’s difficult backstory, including her time as a sex worker, with sensitivity and complexity.

Some critics, however, question whether Williams’s age and physicality fully align with the character’s youthful, hardened persona as originally written. Accents — ranging from Swedish-inflected to Midwestern tones — have also divided opinion, with some viewers finding them inconsistent or distracting.

Despite these debates, Williams’s performance remains the production’s emotional center, giving the audience a clear lens through which to experience Anna’s struggle for identity, acceptance, and love.

Strong Supporting Performances

While Williams anchors the production, several supporting actors elevate the story. Brian d’Arcy James brings depth and tenderness to Chris Christopherson, portraying a man torn between regret, paternal love, and the rough realities of waterfront life. His nuanced performance helps the audience empathize with a character who could easily be perceived as harsh or unyielding.

Tom Sturridge delivers a physically intense performance as Mat Burke, embodying the rugged, unpredictable energy of a sailor. While some critics find his portrayal slightly exaggerated, his energy adds urgency and tension to scenes that could otherwise feel static.

Mare Winningham as Marthy Owen contributes a grounded, earthy presence that balances the heavier dramatic moments, offering moments of humor, warmth, and realism that enhance the ensemble dynamic.

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Direction and Production Design

Director Thomas Kail’s vision for the 2025 revival emphasizes atmosphere and immersive staging. The production uses maritime imagery, reflective surfaces, and textured lighting to evoke the harsh beauty of waterfront life. Set designer Christine Jones and lighting designer Natasha Katz collaborated to create a visual landscape that feels both expansive and intimate, mirroring Anna’s internal emotional journey.

Green glass bottles, shifting platforms, and fog effects underscore the maritime setting while also symbolizing fragility, uncertainty, and emotional turbulence. Some viewers praise this design for its layered symbolism and cinematic quality, while others feel certain scenic choices distract from the narrative.

The production’s commitment to immersive staging demonstrates a willingness to experiment with space and form, offering a fresh take on a classic play while keeping the audience visually and emotionally engaged.

Themes That Resonate Today

Despite being written over a century ago, Anna Christie explores themes that remain relevant in 2025:

• Identity and Reinvention: Anna’s journey to reconcile her past with her present mirrors ongoing conversations about personal growth, self-determination, and societal expectations.
• Family and Redemption: The complex relationship between Anna and her father Chris highlights the challenges of forgiveness and reconnection.
• Societal Judgment and Stigma: Anna’s past as a sex worker underscores enduring questions about judgment, shame, and societal constraints on women.

The play’s timeless emotional stakes, combined with O’Neill’s poetic yet realistic dialogue, ensure that it continues to engage audiences, even if some elements feel historically dated.

Audience and Critical Reactions

Reactions to the 2025 revival have been mixed. Many critics praise the production’s immersive design, strong ensemble performances, and Williams’s emotionally charged portrayal. These reviews highlight the power of O’Neill’s storytelling and the production’s ability to make a rarely performed play feel urgent and contemporary.

Conversely, some critics and audience members express frustration with pacing, dialects, and moments where the staging feels more ornamental than narrative-driven. Some find it challenging to connect with the historical context or relate to the characters’ dilemmas, while others argue that confronting these dated elements is part of the play’s value.

This range of responses underscores the subjective nature of theater and the ongoing dialogue about how to stage classical works for modern audiences.

Why See Anna Christie in 2025?

If you are drawn to theater for emotional intensity, strong performances, and rich production design, this revival of Anna Christie offers plenty to admire. Seeing a rarely staged O’Neill classic with a talented cast and innovative direction provides a unique theatrical experience.

However, if you prefer fast-paced storytelling, modern dialogue, or minimal accents and stylized speech, parts of the production may feel slow or challenging to follow. Ultimately, the revival succeeds in sparking conversation and engaging audiences with O’Neill’s timeless exploration of human emotion, identity, and redemption.

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FAQs

What is Anna Christie about?

Anna Christie follows a young woman who returns to her estranged father’s life aboard a coal barge, navigating love, past trauma, and the search for identity and acceptance.

Who stars in the 2025 revival?

Michelle Williams plays Anna, Brian d’Arcy James portrays her father Chris, and Tom Sturridge stars as Mat Burke, the sailor who becomes Anna’s love interest.

Where is the play staged?

The 2025 revival runs Off-Broadway at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn.

How has Michelle Williams’s performance been received?

Williams has received praise for her emotional depth and nuance, though some critics note concerns about age alignment with the character and uneven accents.

Is Anna Christie relevant to modern audiences?

Yes. Themes of identity, redemption, family relationships, and societal judgment remain significant, even as certain period-specific elements may feel dated.