Review: DANCING AT LUGHNASA at Women's Theatre Collective

In its latest celebration of women, Women’s Theatre Collective (WTC) is staging Brian Friel’s hauntingly beautiful memory play, Dancing at Lughnasa. Set in Ballybeg, Ireland, in 1936, it follows a summer in the lives of the five Mundy sisters as told by the narrator, Michael. Michael’s mother is the youngest sister, Chris, who lives a simple life with her siblings in a modest country cottage. Her moods fluctuate based on whether or not her love interest (and Michael’s father), Gerry, is in town. The eldest, Kate, is a devout Catholic schoolteacher who rules her home like it’s her classroom. Maggie acts as a mediator when tensions arise between the women, her quick wit quickly diffusing arguments most of the time. Agnes and Rose share a bond forged by their shared knitting projects and Rose’s need for a protector.  When their brother, Jack, comes home ill from his missionary work in Africa, another layer of stress is added to an already perilous balance.

Jenny Connors directs a cast that clearly gleans joy from telling this poetic story. As the characters go about their daily routines, Jim LaFerriere’s Michael sits on the periphery delivering heartfelt commentary, as if watching ghosts flit in and out of focus. The sisters find much-needed whimsy in dancing unabashedly when their radio, “Marconi,” infrequently decides to tune in, and their heavy burdens temporarily disappear. Even Kate, perfectly embodied by Alison Gilbreath, sheds her mask in fleeting moments of exhilarating vulnerability. This show is intimate and moving, a meditation on the power of memory and a tribute to the bonds of family.

Dancing at Lughnasa plays at Women’s Theatre Collective through April 12th. Tickets may be found online at womenstheatrecollective.org and fairoaksarts.org.