Review: OUTSIDE MULLINGAR at Forward Theater

Anthony Reilly (David Daniel) has a secret. This secret is only known to two people. First, his adolescent crush, who when told ran away, breaking is young heart. The second, his father, who is so despondent about it that he may keep the family farm from his only son.

So, Anthony Reilly has become a quiet, mouse like, coward of a man. This is his tale and in part the tale of that secret.

The opening of the play is confusing to the audience. The 4 characters enter. Sit, put on shoes, circle, come together, separate, circle and sit again. The audience is left without any real knowledge of the rules here. What have we witnessed, how does this all work? (In a moment of self-disclosure, I admit that I only now understand the opening after the second edit of this review.) Yet, we put aside our uncertainty and settled back to enjoy the set, the acting, and the story.

Hard edged Tony Reilly (James Pickering) is consoling (?) his neighbor, Aoife Muldoon (Carrie Hitchcock) on the death of her husband, as her daughter Rosemary (Clare Arena Haden) sits outside smoking. Tony consoles the new widow by letting her know that she will be in the ground in a year, tops. As his son, Anthony tries to stop the banter, Tony continues to lessen the time he believes the widow will take to join her husband. The scene does a fantastic job of highlighting the wit of the writer along with the comedic timing of the actors.

From the onset, there are directorial choices that take the audience out of the play. Some are as simple as backs to the audiences (during one such scene an elderly gentleman on my right commented that he could no longer hear the actor) to the total lack of props. I could get by not having Rosemary's pipe as her constant companion, and suspend my disbelief at the lack of Guinness. I was however, distracted by Anthony stating "I should take this in" and having nothing to "take in". At one point Rosemary says to Anthony, "Here, use this towel...." Not only was there no towel, there was not even an offer. The gesture (or lack thereof) landed a bit flat.

That being said, it was the writing and the actors who drew me deeper into the play. Therefore, in a sense the directorial lack of accoutrements fulfilled its assumed intention of not having the audience distracted by props. For it was truly the actor and the poetry of verse that drove the emotional responses I shared with the audience. It was the actor's commitment to these characters and their commitment to this world that keeps you riveted.

During one such scene, after progressing form selling the family farm to loving and accepting his son, Anthony's father asks him, "Am I proud too late?" I had a hard time finding my breath, my own father never really making that same transition before he passed.

The relationship between Anthony and Rosemary is tough, touching and very real. The audience smoothly transforms from not really caring for her, to loving her unconditionally.

The script is clever and quick, and there is a musicality to the cadence of speech and the pauses within. This is a beautifully written and masterfully performed work of art.

As Anthony says, "Maybe the quiet behind the thing is as important as the thing itself." Maybe in those quiet times you too will discover more about the show you saw last night. This show will stay with you.

Go, see this show. Unplug from your device and have a great shared experience with you community, after all.... what could be better.

For more information on this or any other production by Forward Theater please visit their website,

http://www.forwardtheater.com/

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OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

SHOW INFO

RUN TIME
1 hour, 45 minutes
No intermission

PRE-SHOW
TALKBACKS
Pre-show talkbacks will be held on the following dates on the Rotunda Stage:
THU, JAN 26 @ 6:30 PM
SUN, JAN 29 @ 1 PM
THU, FEB 2 @ 6:30 PM
SUN, FEB 5 @ 1 PM
THU, FEB 9 @ 6:30 PM
SUN, FEB 12 @ 1 PM

PERFORMANCES
THU JAN 26 @ 7:30 PM
FRI JAN 27 @ 7:30 PM
SAT JAN 28 @ 7:30 PM
SUN JAN 29 @ 2:00 PM
THU FEB 2 @ 7:30 PM
WED FEB 1 @ 7:30 PM
FRI FEB 3 @ 7:30 PM
SAT FEB 4 @ 2:00 PM
SAT FEB 4 @ 7:30 PM
SUN FEB 5 @ 2:00 PM
WED FEB 8 @ 7:30 PM
THU FEB 9 @ 7:30 PM
FRI FEB 10 @ 7:30 PM
SAT FEB 11 @ 2:00 PM
SAT FEB 11 @ 7:30 PM
SUN FEB 12 @ 2:00 PM

Photos by Ross Zentner

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