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Dancing at Lughnasa

By Brian Friel

Directed by Belinda Bremner

Produced by Oak Park Festival Theatre

At Austin Gardens

100 block of Forest Avenue

Oak Park, IL

Call 708-445-4440 (www.oakparkfestival.com)

Tickets $27 adults, $22 for students/seniors

Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm

Sundays at 7 pm

Running time is 2 hours, 40 minutes with intermission

Through August 23, 2008

Poignant Irish memory plays marvelously performed

On a beautiful summer evening what could be better than an outdoor picnic and a marvelous, heart-wrenching Irish play? Oak Park Festival Theatre, under Belinda Bremner’s fluid direction, “Dancing at Lughnasa” becomes one of the summer’s highlights. Brian Friel, a marvelous Irish playwright and storyteller, has penned a masterpiece with “Dancing at Lughnasa.” The play won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Play.

“Dancing at Lughnasa” tells the story (in flashback) of a boy growing up fatherless in rural Ireland in the 1930’s. Brian Simmons, as Michael, narrates his recollections on a visit to the family cottage in Ballybeg. He focuses on 1936 in Donegal in his boyhood home with his unwed mother and his four spinster aunts who all share the cottage. Michael was seven when his uncle returned from twenty-five years in Africa as a missionary priest.

We meet the five sisters, each of whom are apart of the economic and emotional support system for the family. Each sister is unique in temperament, talent and intelligence. They argue and reluctantly give in to the common good of the family. Kate (Mary Michell) is the clan’s leader who orders around the sisters like they were children in her school room. Michell was terrific as the disciplined head of household.

When Gerry (Dennis Grimes), Michael’s tinker-like father arrives from Dublin or Wales for his annual visit and the arrival of the older brother, the sick and delusional missionary priest (Donald Brearley), the women’s lives become uneasy. Chris (Jhenai Mootz), Michael’s mother, is shook by Gerry’s visit, as she goes from anger to ecstasy while Agnes (Martha Murphy) knits away; Maggie (Barbara Zahora) spies as the couple dances, laughs and talks. Brearley, as Jack, the priest, gone native, was effective as he weaves vivid portraits of pagan African rituals. Jack has malaria and a complete loss of his Catholic faith as his long stay in Uganda allowed him to stray from his vocation.

“Dancing at Lughnasa” is filled with rich, fully rounded characters each with distinct mannerism, personalities, hopes and dreams. Brian Friel’s fluid, poetic language is beautifully spoken with fine Irish brogues by the talented cast. We easily understand all and quickly tune in to the idiosyncrasy of each character as we become fully engaged in the family’s story. We care deeply about these folks from Rose (Lydia Berger), the simple minded girl whose low intelligence allows her to laugh and smile over the smallest pleasures. Each of the five sisters, and Michael, the boy, have their moments in this marvelous play.

“Dancing at Lughnasa” contains repressed sexuality that explodes into a manic (and energetically staged) dance set to a haunting Celtic rhythm by the five women. They do traditional steps that explode into frantic jumps, arm waving, spinning and twirling as the tempo quickens until each is exhausted. This moment release the pent-up emotions from the loveless, sexless isolated life the women struggle to cope with. The underlying theme of pagan rituals both from the ancient Celtic harvest rituals of Lughnasa and from the descriptions of Ugandan rites is woven into story to depict the rural Irish folk’s superstitions.

Director Belinda Bremner’s swift pace includes having the five women shown doing some chores such as making soda bread, ironing, making tea, setting the table or banging the radio. This wonderful look into rural Irish life is filled with melancholy and sadness together with humorous moments as Michael recalls those days in Donegal when the arrival of a radio broke the isolation of country life. Oak Park Festival Theatre’s production contains an outstanding cast all of whom reach deep into their characters to exude their truths. This show has loads of heart. Dennis Grimes, Brian Simmons, Mary Michell and Barbara Zahora were particularly excellent.

Brian Friel’s stylistic dialogue and his rich characterizations that make us care about all these folks. This is an outstanding, totally engrossing play that is a must for all Irishmen, for Friel devotees, and those who love great theatre. You have all the elements at work here: a powerful script, an excellent cast with fine-tuned performances on a fine outdoor setting. So what’s not to like? “Dancing at Lughnasa” is awonderful play that is presented in a flawless production. Get to Oak Park Festival Theatre to enjoy a modern class drama.

Highly Recommended

Tom Williams

Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

Date Reviewed: July 25, 2008

Site owned by Tom Williams  1-773-549-0227, tom99@chicagocritic.com Copyright, Chicago, IL 2006 

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