Review: The Gamm's Delectably Dark A SKULL IN CONNEMARA

Dark humor can be a challenge at times, but when it works, it can be so completely satisfying that it sticks in your mind long after the show is over. A SKULL IN CONNEMARA is one of those shows, and not only is author Martin McDonagh's writing is a delightful exploration of the twisted and macabre, but the outstanding performances of Jim O'Brien, Jonathan Fisher, Wendy Overly and Steve Kidd deliver McDonagh's words to the audience and leave them laughing until it hurts. This is a play that's strange and sinister, but so thoroughly hilarious that it's hard to describe, and director Judith Swift captured the spirit of it perfectly.

Widower Mick Dowd earns his living by exhuming bodies from the local church cemetery to make room for new arrivals, but now he's reached the section of the grounds where his wife was buried seven years prior. Since her death, there have been people who insist that she was already dead before the accident in the car he was driving while intoxicated, and the thought of him digging up her bones has some of his friends curious to see how he'll react. This is a world where friends think you're a murderer, but they still come over to your place every night to steal drinks of your poitin (Irish moonshine). That is to say, this is a strange place with secrets and lies, but it all comes together into an uproarious mishmash of jokes about all the things "Good Catholics" shouldn't talk about and small town dynamics where everyone is constantly drinking.

The danger of dark humor such as this, is not taking things far enough. It can be hard to shock an audience, but sometimes too easy to shock them into not laughing. This play will shock even the most hardened individual, but also leave him or her gasping for air between guffaws. Though the writing is just phenomenal, it still needs solid performers to carry it, and this production is perfectly cast and brilliantly performed.

Jim O'Brien has a knack for playing the everyman character in a way that makes him endearing and empathetic. Even in this production where the audience is never 100% sure if he's good bad or somewhere in the murky middle, you still never stop rooting for him. He is clearly a man with demons, but also one you want to have a drink with. O'Brien plays these Jekyll and Hyde elements perfectly. In one scene, he's protecting his elderly neighbor by omitting some nasty truths, and in another, he's gleefully torturing his younger neighbor Mairtin by feeding him lies about dead bodies. This light and dark is an essential part of Mick's very character, and seems to be the thing that haunts him the most. Growing up in a small town, being subject to gossipy half-truths can make any person question reality, but in speaking about his wife, his statement that what drew him to her in the first place was that she always stood up for him, rings true amid a collection of speculations and rumors. Mick is complicated, and bitingly funny, and O'Brien manages to convey all these elements effortlessly, making his a performance to marvel at.

O'Brien's excellent performance is supported by the fantastic Wendy Overly as Maryjohnny Rafferty. From the moment she shuffles onto the stage, whining about the cold and the change of seasons, she is lovable, familiar and frustrating like a sassy maiden aunt. Overly's comic timing shines, but she also delivers on the more intangible parts of a performance in that she manages to perfectly fold into the background when it's time for another actor to shine.

Frequently, the performances that demand the most attention from the audience are coming from Jonathan Fisher and Steve Kidd as Mairtin and Thomas Hanlon. Mairtin is a lovable doofus who has been hired by the priest to help Mick out with his graveyard work, and Thomas is on the police force. Neither brother is particularly bright, but both are 100% hilarious and both actors embody their roles so perfectly it's a joy to watch them. While Mairtin mostly comes across as a dolt who is content to do what he's told as long as someone slips him a drink every now and then; Thomas craves respect that he just doesn't deserve. He wants to rise to the rank of detective, and blames others for not giving him a break, but then ignores sound advice about past police cases, choosing instead to focus on his own conclusion rather than the actual facts. Steve Kidd brings his usual charm and affable hilarity to this role.

Fisher as Mairtin is a perfect fit. Everything about this performance is flawless, charming and delightfully dopey. In a town where everyone seems to be trapped by circumstances and perceptions, Mairtin is the one who makes the best of everything, and never get bogged down by any pesky thinking or overanalyzing. Fisher manages to convey all of this without coming off as annoyingly dimwitted, but rather, like everyone in this production, is just endearing despite all of his flaws.

It's rare that a production is so perfectly executed as this one. The sets, lighting, script, direction and performances all coalesce to create something so funny and touching and shocking that it will linger in the viewer's mind for a long time.

A Skull in Connemara runs February 25-March 27, 2016 at SANDRA FEINSTEIN-GAMM THEATRE 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860. Tickets available at gammtheatre.org or by calling 401-723-4266??

Photo: Jonathan Fisher and Jim O'Brien

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