Martin McDonagh’s THE LONESOME WEST at Stage West
*REVIEWED 04/24/10 PERFORMANCE
Stage West’s THE LONESOME WEST on Saturday April 24 was a charming, witty and funny Irish comedy that left me torn between the dramatic and the jokes, probably as the playwright Martin McDonagh intended.
The play centers on two brothers, their priest and a teenage girl. ‘There's been a recent, possibly accidental shooting, in which Coleman Connor has killed his father. Now Coleman and his brother Valene are sharing their father’s house, locked in a years-old hostility which constantly threatens to escalate. Father Welsh is determined to broker some kind of peace between them, but it’s an uphill battle for a priest who is generally regarded by them with a kind of amused and tolerant contempt. Plus, Father Welsh is a tad too attached to the wicked Irish home-brew, poteen, which he gets from the flirtatious and tough local teenager, Girleen.’ (taken from Stage West’s website and promotional materials.) Add to this mix a stove, tabloids, shotgun and a collection of religious figurines and it’s a fine recipe straight from Leenane, Galway county, Ireland.
THE LONESOME WEST is full of Irish humor- both dark and satirical. The drama sneaks up on the audience- a few jabs between brothers leads to cruel acts of destruction that, for me, left me hanging between laughter and anger at the end of the night. For example, while I willingly laughed at the jokes made about murders and suicides, I just couldn’t bring myself to laugh about the poor dog whose ears were cut off. Also worthy of note is the political incorrectness - referring to blacks as darkies and a rather free wielding use of the f- word (including by the priest.) Some theatre goers might find this, along with the type of humor on sensitive subjects, offensive, but for those willing to lay that aside, it’s a play that gives a glimpse into another culture and possibly sheds some light onto our own. Plus, an Irishman can make common swear words sound like poetry to my ears with the right accent and lilt. Irish music and spirits are provided to help with this ‘laying down of inhibitions’ before the show and during intermission in the Ol’ Vic Café.
Director Jim Covault has assembled an excellent cast and guided them through a very dialogue heavy production without being stagnant in the blocking nor the energy. Each scene, though, was followed by stage hands cleaning up, moving things, or returning props to their proper places. For me, it is very jarring to have a scene followed by stagehands doing their job on the lighted stage. I’m not familiar with the play nor the space of Stage West, so I don’t know why the director chose to transition between scenes as such. All I can say, though, is for those brief moments I was reminded I was watching a play and not living a real experience. However, once they finished their business, in less than a minute, we picked up the story and continued along.
Covault also served as the set designer and co-costume designer, and in this manner was able to unify all the elements into one cohesive story. The set was the living room of the Coleman home (and for one brief scene a bench at the park), and it was clear to me Covault had done his research into typical Irish homes. It was very European in a lot of ways, and this added to its authenticity for me. It was simple but detailed enough to feel like a real home, complete with a large stone hearth, the dinning room table and an old comfy chair. The park setting was the far stage right apron and made out of a single bench and lighting in the shape of trees. No great expense or effort, and yet the mood of the lonely priest sitting there was captured instantly. The action in the home also flowed naturally between the front door and the two bedrooms. The two brothers are very violent prone and Covault enlisted the help of stunt choreographer and cast member Jakie Cabe. The choreography was very good, but on this night, the actors seemed to hesitate between each movement and the precise counts of the choreography were visible -as were the wide swings that never connected but were reacted to as if they had. A little bit faster on the execution and punches, kicks, and body slams closer to the target would help a lot. The costumes were contemporary and simple- the priest in his “uniform”, the teenage girl in her school uniform, and the two brothers alternating between funeral suits and casual cardigans. There were two minor special effects- both related to the bright orange stove moved in half way through Act I, and they worked well without overpowering the storyline.
Trey Walpole as Coleman and Jakie Cabe as Valene fulfill their roles with no hint of “acting.” Walpole is a force to be reckoned with as the big, burley older brother which stands in stark contrast (physically, vocally and emotionally) to Cabe’s appropriately whiney and petty younger brother. The emotional pain as each brother lashed out at the other was palpable, though, and it left no doubt in my mind that these actors were reaching deep within and grappling with some very true emotions. By the end of the play, though, I disliked both brothers very much because of their ultimate decisions and the revelation of their true selves. Perhaps the playwright intended it this way, or this was due to choices the actors made, I’m not sure. I just know I laughed at their on stage antics and left knowing I had seen a play with fictional characters that wanted me to think. In the end, hopefully without giving anything away, the intensity of the performance seemed to fizzle, though, as each brother made one final confession to the other, and I found myself not believing either one’s sincerity. Again, maybe I’m not suppose to, but I really wanted to, for the Priest’s sake.
Father Welsh-Walsh?-no Welsh (an ongoing joke within the play) was subtly played by Justin Flowers. He might drink a bit too much, but he has good reasons to, and Flowers never lets the amount of alcohol supposedly in his system carry his performance. Instead, he chose to let his alcoholic tendencies be a minor consideration and instead focused on the onslaught of doubt that plagued his soul. In the park bench, his hands are wrapped in bandages, but I never saw him move them stiffly or as if he were in pain, which given what had just happened seems highly unlikely. The show stopping moment, though, was Cabe’s rather lengthy monologue (roughly ten minutes) in which he made not a single gesture or movement and yet the audience was enraptured by the complexities of his voice and the feelings conveyed on his face. Add to it the absolute shock of the following scene, and it’s no surprise the audience was left a little breathless.
Meg Bauman, Girleen, was the classic Irish beauty with red hair and ivory skin, but a mouth that forced the men she dealt with almost daily to blush and stammer. She hid her school girl crush on the Priest well, but Bauman needed to strengthen her seductive ways in Act I to counteract her tenderness in Act II. For example, in the park scene, there was no difference between her kidding style and her very real, open and sharing moment. While each actor is from Texas, and therefore had to put in extensive work to master their Irish accent, Bauman seemed to struggle the most with it at times. She became a little sing songy with it, and when she broke this vocal pattern, she would momentarily loose the accent. But, it was in these moments that I really liked Girleen the most. She felt very real and raw, and the accent returned just in time to keep her Irish, too.
THE LONESOME WEST is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy a politically incorrect and darkly humorous view of an extreme version of reality, they will find exactly what they are looking for at Stage West.
Stage West presents Martin McDonagh’s THE LONESOME WEST through May 9th.
Performed at The Stage West Theatre located at 821 W. Vickery, Ft. Worth 76104. www.stagewest.org 817-784-9378
Reviewed by ASSOCIATE THEATER CRITIC, Laura L. Watson, THE COLUMN
Directed by Jim Covault
Stage Management by Peggy Kruger-O’Brien
Lighting Design by Michael O’Brien
Set Design by Jim Covault
Costume Design by Jim Covault and Peggy Kruger-O’Brien
Props/ Set Décor by Lynn Lovett
Stunt Choreography by Jakie Cabe
CAST:
COLEMAN CONNOR Trey Walpole
VALENE CONNOR Jakie Cabe
FATHER WELCH Justin Flowers
GIRLEEN KELLEHER Meg Bauman
__________________________THE LONESOME WEST_________________________
Reviewed by ASSOCIATE THEATER CRITIC, Laura L. Watson , THE COLUMN
No comments:
Post a Comment