CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings
| |
CurtainUp The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings |
|
A CurtainUp Review
On Blueberry Hll
Completely driven by narrative with no exchange of conversation, the play nevertheless moves on a highly dramatic trajectory. Each man's monologue adds details to people, incidents and to places in and around Dublin and beyond where we see the ironic convergence of their lives past and present. The richness and eloquence of Barry's prose brings the world outside just as Christie and PJ make their interior stories vibrate and come live with emotional veracity. br> Far be it from me to disclose what these two convicted murderers serving life sentences have in common or what act of perversity has made them cellmates for the past twenty years. The fleshy bible-reading poetically inclined PJ (Ganly) is a former seminarian and Christy is a tough-talking mason by trade. They both have hard-scrabble family stories— some ordinary, others sad and regrettable— as each is committed to examining his motives and the course of the actions that have brought him to the point where the play begins and ends. Under the mood enhancing spotlight provided by lighting designer Mark Galione, the improbability of the entwining stories make us believe why PJ and Christie would commit unconscionably heinous crimes. Both these sworn enemies are inexorably tied together for life by their acts. There comes a point when we begin to see the playwright's perspective to consider the healing power of forgiveness despite humankind's inclination to commit horrific acts against each other. The play also clears a cobbled path for these two men to survive and each to ultimately see into the heart of the other. Barry's writing is so beautifully crafted that we overlook the plot's stretch of credibility. Some might quibble that what the audience experiences is a dramatized novella. It is, however, ultimately empowered by the sheer force of the portrayals as well as by the theory that we attract into our lives the things we hate and then learn to love them. New York theatergoers may recall Buggy's excellent performances in Aristocrats and also Translations both for the Manhattan Theatre Club. Here he is gripping as he brings forth Christy's vivid memories of a good life outside and then his soul-bruising transformation into a revenge-seeking killer. Equally persuasive is Ganly as PJ who shares the torment of his tortured soul and is forever unable to understand his actions. It could not have been easy for director Jim Culleton to keep alive and lively what is essentially a static drama, but he has done so admirably. Award-winning Dublin playwright Barry has already secured a place as a lauded novelist. Be assured that your eyes will not leave the stage or the faces of these two superb actors. There is a radio in the cell in which we hear "On Blueberry Hill" as famously recorded by Fats Domino in 1956. Its lyrics evidently provide the inspiration that keeps Christie going — and where you should be going if you want to see two great actors in the kind of challenging and unusual play that you won't easily forget. |
Search CurtainUp in the box below PRODUCTION NOTES On Blueberry Hill by Sebastian Barry Directed by Jim Culleton Cast: Nial Buggy (Christy), David Ganly (PJ) Set and Costume Design: Sabine Dargent Lighting Design: Mark Galione Sound Design: Denis Clohessy Stage Manager: Miriam Hyflier Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes no intermission 59E59 Theatre B, 59 East 59th Street From 01/08/19 Opened 01/13/19 Ends 02/03/19 Review by Simon Saltzman based on press preview performance 01/09/19 REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted at http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter |
