Theater Review by Walter Murphy . . . .
The O’Leary Pub has stood facing the Galway harbor for decades. It and the family that owns it need intervention.
The ancient pub’s pipes—damaged by time, a shifting foundation, tree roots, and neglect—are in a sorry state. When a contractor recommends that the damaged pipes be dug up, a long-time patron observes about the new owner, Maureen O’Leary, “she’ll just have to dig deep as well” . . . to repair the damage to the pipes and family. She is Herself, the play (now playing through April 20 as part of the Origin 1st Irish Festival and presented by the Drilling Company at the Gural Theatre at A.R.T/New York Theatres).
And dig deep is what playwright Tim MacGillicuddy does in this tale of family friction—secrets, gossip, treachery, greed, Catholicism, celibacy, premarital sex, alcoholism, broken hearts, the status quo, the Troubles, expats, emigration, renovation versus demolition, labor intimidation, progress, ambition, success and mess in America, and the dining habits of the Mafia. A lot is going on and the dialogue is witty and sharp, with a wry Irish tone: “Isn’t she after ruining a perfectly lovely funeral?”
The story presents a family long in crisis due to the corrosive qualities of secrets and gossip. Upon the death of the pub’s owner, Jim, his sister returns home to Galway to learn that she has inherited the pub and building. By all pub patrons’ accounts, Jim was a kind soul who kept a soup kitchen open for the homeless: “He lived what ancient Irish law taught—that a man is better than his birth.” Maureen is brilliantly played by Kathleen Simmonds. She is pitted against her estranged father, who is hell-bent on acquiring the pub to further his plans for the development of the Galway harbor. His plans end tragically.
Martin O’Leary, played ruthlessly by Hamilton Clancy, also the play’s director, fosters family secrets that fracture the family. Maureen, while still grieving, decides to renovate the pub to its previous stature, in time to celebrate her beloved brother’s birthday. Her drive and efficiency is met with reluctance from vendors who prefer to work at their own pace and not on Maureen’s timeline. But Maureen is a shrew of force (to hear the locals tell it) and on a mission to create a roadblock to her father’s designs. Her response to vendor pushback? “Maybe it’s about time Ireland looked at the clock,” she says.
Paternal discord drives the story, but multiple plot points play out—how committed to celibacy were the local priests? Who fathered the deceased brother? Is sex allowed during the pre-cana counseling period? Gossip and rumors abound in small towns . . . Maureen’s priest-kissing habits: “Everyone in town says I did, so it must be true.” The importance of trust: “Who can be trusted with small things will be trusted with great things.” Would JIm’s partner, pregnant with his child, allow the grandfather into her life? Again, a lot is going on in the play, and the dialogue is witty, sharp, and delivered quickly. Audiences need to listen intently to hear the craic despite the heavy emotional sparring between father and daughter. Dark Irish humor permeates the play. “Father Michael, I ask this respectful like, but do you not think her neckline a bit low for the brother’s burial?”
In addition to the sound and fury of father and daughter, the play’s other characters present the richness of the story. There’s Jane (Natalie Smith) Jim’s partner and mother of his child; Paddy (Drew Valins), the pub co-owner and peacemaker; Father Michael (Skyler Gallun), a young priest struggling with his commitment to his faith; Brenda (Mary Linehan), a nurse who cared for Jim during his demise; Aiden (Patrick Hart), Brenda’s fiancee and a tradesman; Matthew (Dave Marantz), the rehab contractor; Anna (Meg Hennessy), who works for the father but feels that she is being used as an informant on her friends; and Mary (Una Clancy), a sharer of secrets, gossip, and rumors about the family. All characters help weave the backstory that creates the tension of the play. All were well-cast and performed perfectly. They air the dirty linen of the O’Learys.
Besides the tight direction and great performances, kudos to scenic designer Rebecca Lord-Surat for the selection of the traverse staging—audiences on either side, facing each other, and the action on the floor between. It afforded the audience easy viewing, as scenes shifted quickly from the three primary settings: pub, Martin’s office, and funeral/church. Before the show, I wondered how the staging would accommodate the 19 scenes presented. I, and a few audience members I spoke with, thought it a great choice.
Herself. Through April 20 at the Gural Theatre at A.R.T/New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues). www.drillingcompany.org
Photos: Lee Wexler/Images for Innovation
