Theater Review-'The Seafarer' Is An Irish Christmas Tale With A Well Crafted Variation On A Familiar Theme
Theater Reviewâ
âThe Seafarerâ Is An Irish Christmas Tale
With A Well Crafted Variation On A Familiar Theme
By Julie Stern
HARTFORD â Hartfordâs TheaterWorks has opened its 23rd season with a production of Conor McPhersonâs The Seafarer, a moody fable heavily drenched in the atmosphere of modern day Ireland.
Adrian W. Jonesâ lovingly detailed set of a grimy livingroom in a shabby section of North Dublin provides a realistic background for a tale about a trio of alcoholic losers who find themselves in a Christmas Eve poker game with the Devil.
Sharky Harkin, the main character, is a gloomy man whose apparent decency overlays the fact that he has been a failure in every aspect of his life, his temper (when drunk) having cost him his marriage, his job, and his access to most of the local pubs. He has recently returned from the south to care for his older brother Richard, who has gone blind from an accident incurred while dumpster diving.
The play opens with a resolutely sober Sharky trying to clean up after a monumental drinking bout by Richard and his boon companion, Ivan Curry. This sets the stage for the comic first act, as Richard, who has a great many bathroom issues, and Ivan, who has misplaced his glasses (along with his car) and so canât see, spend a lot of time bumping into walls and searching frantically for more to drink.
Henry Wishcamperâs knowledgeable direction, and the performances of Edmond Genest as Richard, Dean Nolen as Sharky and John Ahlin as the bumptious Ivan demonstrate how effective and entertaining good acting can be. The foul smelling Richard is irascible, obnoxious and just plain awful, alternating between whining, blustering, and demanding attention from his long-suffering brother. Ivan is sly, conniving, and dedicated to avoiding going home to his wife and kids.
If that were all there is to the play, it would be awfully long, and to be honest, the first hour, while demonstrating everyoneâs technical abilities, stretched out a little too long. (Or perhaps I was just getting tired of sitting in a dark theater listening to a bunch of drunks)
Things pick up toward the end of the first act when Nicky Giblin, the fellow who has taken up with Sharkyâs ex-wife, comes by to pay a Christmas call, bringing an elegantly dressed new acquaintance, one Mr Lockhart, who is interested in a friendly game of poker.
In a private moment, Mr Lockhart reminds Sharky that they have met before, some 25 years ago, when the stranger enabled Sharky to avoid charges for having beaten a man to death in a fight. In return, they played cards for Sharkyâs soul. Lockhart lost that game, but now he has returned for a rematch. This time, he intends to win.
With the game taking up the second act, the play moves to a higher level of significance. Richardâs blindness (and Ivanâs inability to see without his glasses) are emblematic of a pervasive moral blindness that affects all the characters. The title comes from an Anglo Saxon poem about a lone soul adrift at sea in total isolation, before he is able to complete his journey by returning to the world of humanity.
The Devil himself (Lockhart) is not a totally unsympathetic character. His aversion to music, which causes him genuine pain, stems from his awareness that he himself is forever cut off from the Heaven he once knew, where music is played on a regular basis, bringing feelings of peace and contentment.
His monologue, in answer to Sharkyâs nervous question, describes Hell as an endless period of intense loneliness â the same kind of loneliness that by extension, we are to understand that Lockhart himself endures, as he passes thousands of years in the same kind of poker game, that he can win, but cannot really benefit from. He himself will always be out in the cold, while for Sharky, there still remains the possibility of redemption.
Allen McCullough handles the part of Lockhart with due complexity, so that while we are rooting for Sharky, we canât help but feel for his antagonist.
The motif of the clever peasants outsmarting the Devil is a common one in folklore, and this is a particularly well crafted variation on the theme. If the tone is a bit reminiscent of Pinter or Beckett, as you listen to the ramblings of a character who is not very likeable â well, thatâs theater for you.
(Performances continue until December 21. Call 860-527-7838 or visit TheaterWorksHartford.org for curtain and other details.
The Seafarer contains salty language delivered with an Irish brogue. The play is recommended for ages 14 and up.)