|
Faith Healer
By Brian Friel
Directed by Mikhael Tara Garver
Produced by Uma Productions
At Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division
Chicago, IL
Call 773-347-1375, tickets $15 - $20
Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Special Monday performance at 7:30 pm Jan. 29 for $5
Running time is 2 hours 15 minutes with intermission
Through February 10, 2007
“Faith healer--faith healing. A craft without an apprenticeship, a ministry without responsibility, a vocation without a ministry. . .occasionally it worked. . .And when it did, when I stood before a man and placed my hands on him and watched him become whole in my presence, those were nights of exultation, of consummation. . .because the questions that undermined my life then became meaningless and because I know that for those few hours I had become whole in myself, and perfect in myself. . .” --- Frank Hardy
Mesmerizing Irish storytelling awaits
Uma Productions has one of those shows going that demonstrates that Chicago storefront troupes can and do produce wonderful theatre. Their outstanding production of Irish master playwright Brian Friel’s Faith Healer is a flawless work. In order to land this difficult work successfully, one needs three talented actors each skilled in accents who can sustain long monologues conveying both the depth of the story as well as their character’s personality. Under Mikhael Tara Garver’s tight direction set upon Brian Sidney Bembridge’s intimate basement set with Eva Breneman’s dialect coaching, this production of Faith Healer astonishes us with its emotional wallop.
Friel’s 1979 drama had a successful remount on Broadway last year with Ralph Fiennes, Ian McDiarmid and Cherry Jones. Uma Productions equals the power and depth of that production. Faith Healer is a memory play told in a series of monologues by three people each of whom tell essentially the same story from their point of view.
First Frank Hardy, the itinerant faith healer, played with gusto and charm by Chris Hainsworth, tells his story revealing his arrogance, angst and bewilderment. He is a moody, hard drinking troubled ‘performer’ who is part charlatan, part entertainer and sometimes actually a healer. Told in vivid, often lyrical language, we take to the charismatic faith healer as we start to wonder if he’ll cure us of our ailments. Hainsworth quickly captures us with his honest, profound performance. His monologue titillates as it creates enough mystery to compel us to wonder what happens next.
Next we meet Grace (Danica Ivancevic) who is either Hardy’s wife or mistress (depending whom you believe) as she tells her story of the events that happened first in Wales then in Northern Scotland. In a movingly performance, Ivancevic conveys both her love and her fixation with the moody and often cruel relationship she had with the healer. By now, we are hooked with the mystery of the power of the healer. Did he really ‘heal’ 10 people in one town? And what happened in the misty Scottish town to Grace’s still-born?
Teddy, the devoted vaudevillian manager, played with terrific intense humor and fine Cockney accent by James William Joseph, carries the story to another level as he describes both the faith healer and Grace’s relationship and the strange events in Wales, Scotland and finally in the rejuvenating return to Ireland. He refers to the healer as ‘fantastic.’
This is a gem of a play. It is flawless—perfect accents, excellent storytelling through vividly stirring solo work that lands Friel’s marvelous language deftly. This is powerful theatre that will quickly engage us. All you have to do is listen closely at the start and soon you’ll be hooked. The action of the story will keep you engaged. The mystery unfolds with a rich blend of humor, pathos and bewilderment. Do not think that because there is no interaction between the actors, this play is boring. Quite the contrary. Faith Healer will have you on the edge of your chair in wonderment. You’d be hard pressed to find three finer performances than witnessed at Chopin Theatre in this wrenching tale.
Kudos to Uma Productions for mounting a delightful theatrical experience.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2007
Jeff Recomended
|
