Reviewed by Judd Hollander
The breakdown of
the status quo can be tough on those who've lived by it for so long. An issue
Brian Friel examines in his 2005 drama
The Home Place. The work having its North American premiere at the Irish Repertory
Theatre.
In 1878, Christopher
Gore (John Windsor-Cunningham) is an aging and increasingly forgetful British
landowner in Ballybeg , Ireland
A long-time
widower, Christopher depends greatly on the services of his housekeeper
Margaret O'Donnell (Rachel Pickup), an Irish woman who came to The Lodge, as the
Gore home is called, when she was a child. She now having more in common with Christopher,
who would marry her in an instant, than she does with any of the “common” folk
in the area. Including their live-in maid Sally Cavanagh (Andrea Lynn Green).
This is not the
best of times for the landed gentry. One of their number having recently been
murdered, amid rumors of a growing unrest among the Irish people. Much of this
personified in Sally's boyfriend Con Doherty (Johnny Hopkins) who, along with
the with more ominous Johnny McLoone (Gordon Tashjian), has recently returned
from Dublin .
Making an
already tense situation worse is Dr. Richard Gore (Christopher Randolph), Christopher's
cousin from Kent
in England . Both
Christopher and Richard referring to Kent
as “The Home Place”. An anthropologist, Richard believes that by examining the
skulls and other characteristics of people of different classes, one can use this
information to uncover such things as their propensity for violence, ambition,
loyalty, sacrifice, etc. Richard and his assistant Perkins (Stephen Pilkington)
intent on examining some of the Ballybeg locals in this regard. Though when
certain people object to Richard's methods, Christopher finds himself in the
middle of a conflict with massive ramifications, no matter which side he supports.
Focusing on
issues of class status, human dignity and cultural identity, Friel has crafted
an absorbing tale. From Richard's condescending attitude towards anyone not of
his station in life - he continually refers to the volunteers for his
examinations as "specimens" - to Con and his companions' belief that the
land Christopher and people like him control actually belong to the people of
Ireland; one can see examples of long-entrenched ways of thinking, and where compromise
is not an option. Also telling is the belittling way Margaret continually
addresses the less-cultured Sally, as well as her being ashamed of her own
father (Robert Langdon Lloyd), the local choirmaster and a perennial drunkard.
His presence being a painful reminder of a past Margaret is trying desperately to
forget.
Unfortunately the
story is hampered by a very talky text, which often slows the action down to a
crawl. The only way to overcome a situation like this is to make the various
characters interesting enough so the audience will want to follow along.
Something that is not the case here. The entire first act, which lays the
groundwork for what is to follow, feels like a gigantic passive experience,
where information is provided and positions are staked out, but none of which
is in any way engaging.
At least part of
the problem can be found in Charlotte Moore's direction, which is unable to
make the show resonate as strongly as it should. An example of this being her
mention in the show program of how she found the Doherty character both
"mesmerizing and terrifying". However, Hopkins '
portrayal of Con, while at times threatening, falls well short of how Moore
describes him. His presence in the play seeming more like an afterthought,
rather than a pivotal figure.
The real shame
is that the play contains a lot of material on which to build, with much of the
opportunities to do so simply fizzling out. The character of Margaret being a
particular case in point. O'Donnell playing a character caught in a love triangle
with Christopher and his son David (Ed Malone), as well as facing her own
personal identity crisis. Though she displays some strong moments of passion, such
as when she shows her disappointment at Christopher or comes face to face with
her father, her overall performance is not strong enough to make the audience
care about this particular individual, or her ultimate fate.
Windsor-Cunningham
on the other hand, delivers a standout turn of a man raging against an oncoming
storm which he is powerless to prevent. Like Margaret, he is a person with
a foot in two different worlds, yet not fully welcome in either. Originally
seeming to be losing his grip on reality he is, in actuality, someone
completely beaten down by a life that never turned out the way he wanted.
James Noone's
set of The Lodge offers a nice touch of opulence, while providing a strong juxtaposition
between those who have wealth and those who live in poverty - as indicated by
several people who arrive to participate in Richard's study. Michael Gottlieb's
lighting nicely complements the atmosphere of the different scenes and tensions
of the story.
The Home Place has the potential to be a
very interesting and thought-provoking piece of theatre. Sadly with this
production, it's just not presented that well.
Featuring:
Rachel Pickup (Margaret O'Donnell), Andrea Lynn
Green (Sally Cavanagh),
Gordon Tashjian
(Johnny McLoone), Johnny Hopkins (Con Doherty), Ed Malone (David Gore), John
Windsor-Cunningham (Christopher Gore), Christopher Randolph (Dr. Richard Gore),
Stephen Pilkington (Perkins), Robert Langdon Lloyd (Clement O'Donnell), Polly
McKie (Mary Sweeney), Logan Riley
Bruner (Tommy Boyle)
The Home Place
by Brian Friel
Set Design:
James Noone
Costume Design:
David Toser
Lighting Design:
Michael Gottlieb
Original Music:
Ryan Rumery & M. Florian Staab
Properties: Sven
Henry Nelson
Dialects:
Stephen Gabis
Casting: Deborah
Brown
Production Stage
Manager: Pamela Brusoski
Assistant Stage
Manager: Rebecca C. Monroe
Press
Representative: Matt Ross Public Relations
General Manager:
Lisa Fane
Irish Repertory Theatre
Tickets: 212-727-2737 or www.irishrep.org
Running Time: 1
hour 45 minutes, one intermission
Closes: December 17, 2017
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