Irish drama explores life's second chances
2007-09-26
The blind literally lead the blind in "Molly Sweeney" at TheatreWorks in New Milford. Irish playwright Brian Friel's drama, inspired by real-life events, is about a middle-aged woman, blind from near birth, who regains her sight. Although happily adjusted to her handicap, she is pushed into surgery by her ever-eager husband and a doctor who looks at the operation as an opportunity to redeem his career. It is the two men's inability to see that Molly is probably better off as she is that becomes the play's dominant symbolism.
Not a bad premise for a drama, but the rub comes in the way the playwright has chosen to present it. "Sweeney," like Friel's earlier "Faith Healer," has three actors — two men and one woman — and both plays consist of alternating monologues. In "Faith Healer" there is only one actor on stage at a time and each per former has a near hour-long story to tell. In "Sweeney" all three are on stage throughout and their monologues are cross cut with each other, though there is no interaction between the actors.
Friel is arguably the greatest living Irish playwright and his works, which include "Philadelphia, Here I Come," "Translations" and "Dancing at Lughnasa," are among the theater's finest dramas.
But he can be self indulgent too, and with "Molly Sweeney" and "Faith Healer" he combines the Irish art of storytelling with an ample supply of philosophical suppositions and calls it theater. Because everything that happens to Molly has already taken place when the play begins, the past tense of the story ignores the essential element in drama — conflict.
The events are related directly to the audience by Molly (Jackie Decho-Holm), her husband Frank (James Hipp) and Dr. Rice (John Taylor). They each have their small circle of space on stage. They either sit on a chair or stand near it for each of their half dozen or so 10-minute speeches. The actor speaking is bathed in light and the other two remain in the shadows.
The three performers in the TheatreWorks production give a good account of themselves. Decho-Holm brings a pleasant lilt to her earlier speeches and poignancy to those moments when she realizes just how little she really wanted "sight."
Though a little young for the part, Hipp makes Frank's eager-beaver personality brashly amusing. When not tending to his flock of uncooperative Iranian goats, Frank is dreaming up plans to revitalize whole nations. The exuberance that attracted Molly to him is understandable.
As the alcoholic Dr. Rice, Taylor gives the most complex performance. Wry and whiskey soaked, he is a template for the Irish drunk of literature and stage. He catches the acid humor, squandered pride and loneliness of the man. Molly may be the central figure, but the most touching moment is one in which Rice describes a brief reunion with his ex-wife.
With the exception of the fluid, off and on, up and down lighting, the staging is simple. There's a stylized window at the rear of the stage and panels of fabric upon which colors are projected. This seems to be a tradition in productions of this play but the point escapes me, since it is the audience who sees them and not Molly who always faces straight ahead.
Richard Pettibone is the director and Sonnie Osborne and Paula Anderson his acting coaches. They've combined to coax persuasive performances from the trio and it is the acting that makes a trip to this theater worthwhile.
You may be intrigued with the playwright's theories about sight and the adaptability of one's senses, but I found it difficult to believe that the well-adjusted Molly would go to pieces when faced with seeing the world she had heretofore only sensed by feel, sound, taste and smell.
There were a couple of missteps. After scrupulously keeping the three actors in their very separate arenas on stage, Pettibone allows Dr. Rice to approach the silent Molly and speak directly to her, needlessly breaking the play's structure.
Turning blinding lights on the audience when Molly experiences sight is also ill conceived. We're not supposed to be Molly, but her observers.
The play takes place in the village of Ballybeg, Donegal, Ireland, the site of most of Friel's plays. Fans of his work will feel right at home.