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Aristocrats
By Brian Friel
Directed by Rick Snyder
At Strawdog Theatre
3829 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Call 773-528-9696, tickets $20
Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays 7 pm
Special Thursdays Nov. 1, 8 & 15 at 8 pm
Running time is 2 hours 15 minutes with intermission
Through November 17, 2007
Strong acting propels Aristocrats
Brian Friel’s 1979 Irish drama, Aristocrats, reminds me of a Chekhov work. Aristocrats is a naturalistic drama set in 1970 Ireland’s County Donegal near the Northern Ireland border. The O’Donnell family is an old guard wealthy and educated Catholic once-noble family in an area filled with powerful Protestant families. Father O’Donnell was a judge who ruled the area through several changes of government. His tyrannical influence made his children fearful as all seem trapped in the past. They reunite for Claire’s (Shannon Hoag) wedding that turns into the father’s funeral. This haunting look at the helplessness of a family crumbling from a series of lost dreams and fallen status. The O’Donnell’s live isolated dysfunctional lives.
From Casmir (John Henry Roberts in a compelling rich performance), the failed solicitor who lives in Hamburg, Germany seems delusional and trapped in memories of the family history. His stories to an American academic (Tom Hickey) visiting the great manor researching for a book about Ireland’s Catholic gentry, are embellished assortment of half truths. He is obsessed with Chopin’s music as his sister, Claire is equally obsessed with playing Chopin. Judith (Anita B. Deely) is the spinster sister dedicated to running the crumbling house and caring for the aging father (Jack McCabe). The village handyman, Willie (Kyle Hamman) is her only friend. Alice (the effective Jennifer Avery) is the alcoholic sister in an unhappy marriage to Eamon (Michael Dailey in a deeply truthful performance). Eamon is the failed diplomat who laments the family’s lost status.
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Playwright Brian Friel pays tribute to Anton Chekhov by structuring Aristocrats as a powerful portrait of noble gentry caught in the past and lamenting their lost dreams and failed relationships. Ireland in transition in the 1970 offers fertile grounds. Friel laces the drama with humor, irony and pathos. His language is filled with rich imagery. This is an actor’s play filled with strong, nuanced performances as each character has long speeches revealing their painful truths. Jennifer Avery’s drunken Alice and Michael Dailey’s Eamon each have their moments. John Henry Roberts’ manic, yet truthful performance, as the son who realizes that he is part village idiot and a suspected homosexual was the strongest among excellent turns. We experience the angst and heartaches of the O’Donnells. This show is deserving of an audience. Brian Friel fans will enjoy the drama.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2007
Jeff Recommended
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