Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Irish Rep’s “O’Casey Cycle” gets off to a smashing start with THE SHADOW OF A GUNMAN

• By drediman
• February 23, 2019
• No Comments

Meg Hennessy and James Russell in “The Shadow of a Gunman” presented by the Irish Repertory Theatre. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

This afternoon, I caught up with Irish Repertory Theatre’s smashing revival of Sean O’Casey’s rarely-performed The Shadow of a Gunman. The 1923 tragicomic play is part of O’Casey’s “Dublin Trilogy” and the first installment of Irish Rep’s “O’Casey Cycle” this winter/spring. Eventually, the production will play in repertory alongside two of O’Casey’s more popular plays, Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars. It’s an ambitious endeavor which I eagerly look forward to immersing myself in.

Speaking of immersion, director Ciaran O’Reilly has outdone himself by transforming the intimate Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage into a run-down Dublin tenement. You’ll feel like you’re stepping back in time as soon as you walk into the auditorium, effectively drawing the audience into the story of a sensitive, idealistic poet who naively gets mixed up in the unruly clash between the IRA and the British forces during the Irish War of Independence. Typical of O’Casey’s work, The Shadow of a Gunman teems with visceral, vibrant life-force, particularly of the distinctive Irish variety. Despite its reputation as nascent — even second tier — O’Casey, the play is efficiently structured, building powerfully to a tension and paranoia-soaked climax.

As for the production, it’s top notch and reeks of quality. I’ve already mentioned Mr. O’Reilly’s enveloping, beautifully-detailed staging, but ultimately the success of any play lies in its acting. And here, Irish Rep has assembled an exemplary bunch, mostly comprised of Irish and Irish-American actors (many of them regulars at the Chelsea-based theater company). They provide O’Casey’s play with just the right balance of authenticity and heightened characterizations, bringing it to vibrant, punchy life. The fine ensemble pays satisfying tribute to the play’s tragic and comic elements, both of which are considerable. Indeed, in their hands, humanity’s base foibles and nobility clash just as unsettlingly as the political turmoil of the time.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE SHADOW OF A GUNMAN
Off-Broadway, Play
Irish Repertory Theatre
1 hour, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through May 25