Photos by Meghan Moore.

The Seafarer, by Conor McPherson
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Directed by Charles Towers

October 15 – November 8
132 Warrren St.
Lowell, MA 01852

The Seafarer, by Conor McPherson, opens in a dingy row-house basement, outside of Dublin, where we meet two brothers, Rich (Gordon Joseph Weiss) and Sharky (David Adkins), and their hung-over friend, Ivan (Jim Frangione). The darkly funny first act hardly seems like the fable that the play is supposed to be, where the characters snipe at each other in a pre-Christmas, alcoholic binge, but it is a set-up for the real story which comes to life in the second act. At first we don’t know the character’s motivations or their stories, and without reading the publicity first, I wouldn’t have known that Richard had recently become blind. He stumbles with what seems to be a gimp leg, or which could have been partly due to his drunkenness. Sharky, who is his younger brother and now his caretaker, takes a lot of verbal abuse that seems uncalled for.

The second act reveals all when two new guests arrive, one a reminder of Sharky’s dark side. Still, Sharky is trying to stop drinking and it’s not easy with liquor flowing freely, each character exhibiting his particular flavor of drunk. When Mr. Lockhart (Mark Zeisler) one of the guests threatens to take Sharky’s soul if he loses the poker game, it appears that all is lost. But it is Christmas after all, and Sharky , “the one with potential.” has the audience rooting for him. The story ends in redemption, a tale of inner strength and second chances.

Each character is totally believable and I am transported to Ireland, no question, but Rich, the blind brother lights the stage with his character’s effervescent yet mecurican personality. As usual at the MRT, great attention is given to detail in the set design, and the on-stage flat is perfect from the unfinished stucco and panelled walls to a real staircase, to the wood stove that glows when Sharky adds logs to the fire. A must see, but remember that the second act is where it’s at.

Share on Facebook

Send this picture as an ecard

Michael Canavan (Jim Tyrone) and Kate Udall (Josie Hogan) photo by Meghan Moore

A Moon for the Misbegotten
by Eugene O’Neill

Directed by Edward Morgan
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
April 23-May 17

Under the moonlight, illuminating the steps of a ramshackle Connecticut shack, we discover that strident Josie (Kate Udall), conniving Hogan, her father (Gordon Joseph Weiss) and playboy actor/landlord Tyrone (Michael Canavan) are not at all as they seem. The play begins as an Irish comedy of wit, but the tough-talking characters evolve the story into bittersweet tale of regret and tenderness.

Written by Eugene O’Neill in the 1920’s, the characters are vibrant and as true today as when the play opened. Industrial-strength Josie, is on stage for almost the entire show and we never tire of her moods and hidden longings. Hogan, her impish father, delivers his lines with impeccable timing and wit, using hilarious body language as he schemes and plots, and Tyrone is perfect as the alcoholic landlord and object of Josie’s love. He reveals his dark secrets to Josie with candor and longing and becomes vulnerable, but staying in character, never reachable. O’Neill has been the only American to win a Nobel prize in literature and he won four Pulitzer prizes. This play, where the characters are plot, makes the audience understand why; O’Neill’s universal understanding of his characters motivations is not only dead on, but timeless.

The MRT’s sets are consistently spectacular, from creating facades of actual houses to working kitchens. This show is no exception, where the the set is a dilapidated farmhouse, complete with a barrel of water for washing and realistic stone fence. The audience is not required to imagine it, since it is created in exquisite detail. The sound and lighting enhance the set. The play opens with the arrival of a train, announced by sound and lighting so real that you could swear you were at the whistle stop. Later under the moonlight, the projected twinkling stars are of actual constellations and you can practically feel the summer breeze. This kind of artistry immediately puts you in another place, and you sense that you are in such good hands, you only need to sit back and let the story unfold. Be sure not to miss it.

Share on Facebook