Memory, nostalgia, the ties of family - South Simcoe Theatre’s latest production, Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa, is a funny, lyrical, bittersweet look at growing up in Catholic Ireland during the 1930s.
Dancing at Lughnasa has been described as a “memory play,” Friel’s most autobiographical work – but the story it tells is both personal and universal.
The narrator, Michael, played by Tim O’Connell, remembers the summer of 1936 in Ballybeg, Ireland, interweaving the sharp immediacy of a child’s memory with the adult perceptions and interpretations granted by distance and time.
It’s a vision that resonates with Iain Moggach, who directed the South Simcoe Theatre production of Friel’s masterpiece.
“It was a very personal story,” said Moggach. “I was 11 when I first saw it, and I said – this is my story.” In particular, it was the portraits of the “aunts” that hit home.
Friel’s play is about the five unmarried Mundy sisters, and their complex relationships – with each other, the men around them, the restraints of religion, and the freedom of the older Celtic tradition of Lughnasa, the harvest festival, that calls on its worshippers to dance.
It’s all seen through the eyes of Michael, both as a seven year old boy and as an adult, back in the village to close up the house after the death of his mother, Chris (played by Marissa Caldwell).
The South Simcoe cast provides brilliant portraits of each sister – Chris, alternately succumbing to and resisting the bardic charm of Michael’s father; simple, vulnerable Rose, played by Kristen Keller; secretive Agnes (Danielle Kostrich), suppressing longings for love and freedom; Maggie (Nancy Chapple-Smokler), with her jokes, riddles and wisdom; and domineering, proper school teacher Kate (Trudee Romanek), ultimately vulnerable.
For Michael, the house is haunted by memories, as the sisters reveal their frustrations, tensions and dreams in an interplay of personalities.
There are men who also play a pivotal role that summer. Uncle Jack (Jim Jenkinson), once a missionary priest in African and something of a hero to his family, comes home to Ballybeg after adopting the religious beliefs of his flock – or, as Kate comes to describe it, following “his own distinctive spiritual search.”
And Gerry Evans, Michael’s father – Gordon Haney plays the storyteller, dreamer and rounder – suddenly arrives, bringing momentary laughter and music.
The sharpness of memory, the bite of nostalgia - Friel paints a picture of a family on the brink of disintegration, with love and clarity.
“I was thrilled to be able to direct Dancing at Lughnasa,” said Moggach, “especially with such a strong local cast.”
Dancing at Lughnasa is a memorable gem.
The show is on stage at the Old Town Hall Theatre, 1 Hamilton St. in Cookstown, until March 24. Shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $20 each. Call the box office at 705-458-4432, or visit southsimcoetheatre.com for more information.
South Simcoe Theatre’s next production is the musical Hello Dolly! - on stage in Cookstown May 2-19. Tickets are $23 each.
