Brotherly Love

The Lonesome West – Aston Rep

 

If acclaimed British playwright Martin McDonagh is to be believed, this remote village, nestled along the northern coast in County Galway,is actually a hotbed of unhappy, shockingly horrible people with murderous tendencies. His Connemara Trilogy of dark comedies includes “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” “A Skull in Connemara” and AstonRep’s latest offering, “The Lonesome West.” The son of Irish parents, this playwright is also the author of such other important plays as “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” “The Pillowman” and “A Behanding in Spokane,” as well as the screenplays for Oscar-nominated films, “In Bruges” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”

In this four-character play, Coleman and Valene Connor, two bad-tempered brothers bicker, brawl and engage in a battle royal, following the death and burial of their father. Their Da, who died as a result of an accidental fatal shooting, wasn’t a model citizen himself; and it seems as if the apple doesn’t fall too far from the rotting tree. Into the Connors’ world wander young Father Welsh (whose name no one seems to be able to remember) and sassy local teenager, Girleen Kelleher. The play, which sports almost 90 minutes of violence, adult language and shocking situations, focuses less on plot and more on a character study of select citizens from this rural town.

Dana Anderson directs the black comedy with an outpouring of spirit and vigor, getting down and dirty with her characters and wallowing in their short tempers. Kudos to Claire Yearman for her authentic fight choreography, a most important component in any McDonagh drama, but particularly this one. Jeremiah Barr’s meticulously created scenic design and unusual prop demands, along with Samantha Barr’s fine lighting and Melanie Thompson’s spot-on sound design, create the requisite Irish tone, even isolating an outdoor location near the ocean on this tiny stage.

As the battling Connor family, Robert Tobin is frighteningly realistic as older brother, Coleman. His tall, sullen, hulking form lords over feisty, little Valene, played with spunk and a quick temper by ginger-haired Dylan Todd. The play basically centers around these two, continuously sparring over everything imaginable, from long ago childhood pranks to current quarrels about liquor and junk food. Mark Tacderas is a soft-spoken Father Welsh, an earnest young parish priest who has his own doubts and insecurities to overcome, while trying to counsel his flock. Welsh’s character is sometimes overpowered by all the loud quarreling between the Connors. Between Tacderas’ quiet line delivery, matched with his thick, Irish dialect, theatergoers may find Father Welsh difficult to hear or understand. A breath of fresh air blows in with Phoebe Moore as Girleen. Unwilling to be bossed around or taken advantage of, Ms. Moore’s gritty, gutsy Girleen ultimately opens up and reveals a tough kid whose heart is a lot more fragile than we originally thought.

This story of brotherly love probably won’t be to everyone’s liking. It’s almost purely physical, with small bursts of quiet introspection and meditation. Four small-town characters, each with his own agenda, fight for a place in this tiny Irish community. The play is actually a comic thriller, laced with bouts of cruelty and violence, that may shake up and turn off certain audience members. The comedy is also, ironically, a fierce tennis match of words. The language and Irish rhythms bounce back and forth, serving to energize both the characters and the story they tell. This is a production that’s often difficult to watch, but it’s a story that audiences won’t soon forget.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas    

 

Presented October 18-November 18 by AstonRep Theatre Company at the Raven Theatre’s West Stage, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 773-828-9129 or by going to www.astonrep.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.