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Review
The Lonesome West
by Rich See
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It seems God has no jurisdiction in this town. None at all. ---Father Welsh |
 E. Lucas and D. Brick (Photo: Ian C. Armstrong)
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Sibling rivalry reaches Hindenburg proportions in Scena Theatre's production of The Lonesome West, part of Martin McDonagh's "Leenane Trilogy." West, like The Beauty Queen of Leenane and A Skull in Connemara, showcases McDonagh's skill at the innate poetry of the Irish people, as well as his ability to plunge into absurd dark humor that touches upon tragedy. In Scena's capable hands The Lonesome West is a laugh riot bordering on the insane, yet keeps a toe hold in the pathos of its characters' lives.
This portion of McDonagh's trilogy details the hate-filled yet dependent relationship of two brothers as their anger spills over into the neighboring community around them. In McDonagh's County Galway, Coleman and Valene are simply two more dysfunctionals in the town of Leenane, where murder and mayhem seem to be constant companions. As Father Welsh points out (after there are three murders and one suicide in the parish) "I'd have to kill half my family to fit in this town."
The play opens with Coleman and Valene (the two brothers) sharing their childhood home after the "accidental" death of their disciplinarian father. Now unsupervised by Dad and having spent a lifetime devising ways to antagonize and torture each other, their fragile family relationship is beginning to unravel at the seams. Free to beat, shoot, and stab each other to their hearts' content, Father Welsh (whom everyone calls Walsh) fears for their immortal souls. It's this violent streak in their natures, which the alcoholic padre tries to soften and civilize. So while Valene taunts Coleman with bags of potato chips he is not allowed to eat and a stove he is not allowed to use, Coleman returns the sentiment by displacing Valene's sainted collection of plastic figurines and drinking his Irish vodka. Just the things nine year old boys would do to each other -- if they happened to be 39 year old men...
Director Robert McNamara seems especially at home with the piece, seemingly relishing every aspect of the play's quirky characters. The timing is near perfect, as are the fight scenes and the Irish accents. David Ghatan's set is a simple country room, with old newspapers and rubbish lurking in every corner. Very much a place two adolescent adults might live. The yellow stove that arrives looks remarkably out of place and very much the target that it later becomes. David Crandall's sound evokes an Irish country music flare and as tempers on stage change, the music reflects the new optimism.
The small cast is exceptional! Dan Brick's troubled Father Welsh is touching as he heads closer and closer to a nervous breakdown. Selling vodka to the neighborhood alcoholics in order to buy a necklace, Linda Murray's Girleen is tough on the outside but begins to crumble by the end when she realizes Father Welsh never shared her feelings.
As the cantankerous battling siblings Coleman and Valene, Eric Lucas and Mark Rhea have an on-stage relationship that is much like an intuitive dance. Jumping over furniture, giving sly looks to the audience, their comedic pitch is near perfect. And their choreographed fight scenes are amazingly well-timed and realistic. Rhea sums up the brother's feelings for one another when he tells Father Welsh, "I wouldn't cry hard if I lost my only brother. I'd buy a big cake." But under all this animosity, the two men are truly little boys since they remain together because they are afraid to be independent and live their lives apart. Thus they choose the hell they know over the heaven they may not find.
If there's a flaw in this production its that the Irish accents are a bit thick and thus -- at the outset of the play -- somewhat hard to understand. But as your ear becomes accustomed to the lilt, that difficulty subsides revealing a gem of a play by a group of extremely talented performers. The Lonesome West's dark humor showcases the senselessness of holding onto ancient grudges as life and time move ever forward, leaving you further and further behind in the past.
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The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh Directed by Robert McNamara with Dan Brick, Eric Lucas, Linda Murray, Mark A. Rhea Set Design: David C. Ghatan Lighting Design: Marianne Meadows Sound Design: David Crandall Running Time: 2 hours with one intermission A production of Scena Theatre Warehouse Theater, 1021 Seventh Street, NW, Washington DC Telephone: 703-684-7990 WED - SAT @8, SUN @3; $25 Opening 03/05/05, closing 04/03/05 Reviewed by Rich See based on 03/05/05 performance |
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