The Weir (The Irish Repertory Theatre)
Nighttime and a howling wind can be heard outside the quaint pub in
countryside of a small Irish town. Hanging on the wall is a photo of the
nearby weir (a dam) among a collection of photos of the residents and
local sights. There is a modestly stocked bar, a comfortable banquet, a
couple of tables and chairs and a fire-stove in the corner that provides
a bit of warmth. It's quite a perfect setting and ambiance for Conor
McPherson's eerie Olivier Award-winning 1997 play now having a fine
revival at the Irish Repertory Theatre.
Following its acclaimed London run The Weir opened on Broadway in
1999 to good reviews and a respectable run. Despite the slightly corny
B-movie contrivance of the set-up, we willingly listen to the ghost
stories as told by five convivial occupants. They are the fabric of the
play. You can also depend upon an ample supply of Guinness, stout, shots
of whiskey, even a glass of white wine (the latter becomes a point of
humor) to charge the chatter of four local men and a female newcomer
from Dublin.
The evening progresses slowly but with an element of suspenseful
apprehension as the men take turns revealing macabre lore about the
resident ghosts to the woman who will undoubtedly have her own
I-can-top-that-story. The groundwork has been set and the grumbling
begins as Jack (Dan Butler), a pub regular, arrives to find the tap
out-of-order and that he has to settle for Guinness in the bottle. Jack
is even less pleased by the arrival of Finbar (Sean Gormley), a
forty-something part-time but successful realtor, mildly resented by
all. Finbar has been spending the last few days giving Valerie (Tessa
Klein), the "blow-in" tenant from Dublin, a sightseeing tour of the
countryside.
It only takes the presence of a stranger to perk up the usual gossipy
banter between Brendan (Billy Carter), the bar's thirty-something,
lonely proprietor, Jack, the local garage owner, and Jim (John Keating),
his forty-something assistant. They are all only too eager to impress
the quiet but friendly newcomer with their personal encounters and
knowledge of ghostly comings and goings that include a graveyard spirit,
a message from a Ouija board and the presence of a fairy road.
McPherson's award-winning play recently been revived to acclaim in London (Curtainup's review ).
In New York, the atmospherically realized Irish Rep. production,
validates the play's worthiness among the more engrossing plays
dealing with the supernatural. Following a trail of monologues in this
genre may not be everyone's cup of tea, and as ghost stories go, they
are all rather tame and un-terrifying. But that is also part of their
appeal, particularly the woman's final sad story evoking a personal
tragedy.
McPherson's often charmingly contentious characters have been afforded
splendidly realized performances, particularly since these characters,
although glib and prone to four-letter expletives, are decidedly less
eccentric and blustery than is the custom for Irish pub habitués.
Even as one's ears attend the tales, they can pick up the resentful
attitudes, half-hearted scorning, and the playful empathetic baiting
that pass between the men and enhance their gift for story-telling. It's
impossible not to think that the pugnacious spirit of James Cagney
hasn't entered Butler as the flinty, fast-talking Jack, the
fifty-something bachelor owner of a local garage and the first to get
the evening crackling with his yarn about the fairy road.
Carter is quite good as the close-to-melancholy Brenden whose
country-side pub gets a seasonal boost from "the Germans." Keating, who
is making his 12th appearance with the Irish Rep., is standout, this
time as Jim, Jack's less talkative assistant at the garage, but the one
whose chilling tale about a ghost in a graveyard gets everyone riled up.
Gormely is amusingly assertive as the self-satisfied and married Finbar
who appears just a little over-attentive to the attractive Valerie.
Klein gives a lovely performance as the thirty-something Valerie whose
own extraordinary experience brings the play to its poignant conclusion.
There is no doubt about McPherson's gift for Irish-ized story-telling,
as exemplified in his subsequent plays, Shining City (2006) and The
Seafarer (2007), both of which received Tony nominations. You can also
be assured that the Irish Repertory Theatre ensemble has brought out the
best in these stories.
The Weir
The Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 West 22nd Street
(212) 727 - 2737
Tickets: $55 - $65
Performances: Wednesday 3pm and 8pm; Thursday at 7pm; Fridays at 8pm;
Saturdays at 3pm and 8 pm; Sundays at 3pm (with the following
exceptions: additional performance Tuesday, July 2 at 7 pm; no
performance Thursday, July 4 at 7pm).
From 05/15/13 Opened 05/23/13 Ends 07/07/13
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