THE WEIR – Written by Conor McPherson; Directed by Candace Orrino. Produced by Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (presented at the Savoy Event Center, 2700 Arapahoe St, Denver) through October 4 and (presented at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder) from October 8 through November 1. Tickets available at BETC.org.
“Three Irishmen walked into a bar . . . ” A good way to start a story about stories. In this case, two of the men and Brendan (Ryan Omar Stack), the younger man who owns the bar, are settled residents of the rural area around Sligo in Northwestern Ireland. The fourth Irishman is Finbar (Colin Martin), a local who has abandoned his home in this steeped-in-tradition place, returning only to broker real estate deals. He brings with him a young woman (Colleen Lee) who has recently purchased a house in the area. The local men – all bachelors – are interested in meeting Valerie, the newcomer, and welcome her into their midst by regaling her with the “auld” stories of the land.
They inform her of the wonder of her having purchased a house built on a “fairy road” which can be either bad or good, depending on how the fairies feel about her. She is amused but not put off by the story. The difficulties of living in such a formidable environment are discussed, along with local legends and the disdain the locals feel for the tourists (“Germans”) who invade the Knock (a very small mountain located nearby) in the summer.
While Finbar tried to fit in amongst these men, his clothes and more posh way of speaking make him defensive. Jack (Michael Morgan) is a local mechanic who acknowledges his own loneliness with a story of lost love. Jim (Mark Collins) is Jack’s assistant in the car garage, an equally lonely man who lives with and cares for his elderly Mum. Brendan, the younger bar owner, came into his place in the village by way of an inheritance of money and land which he guards well against his greedy sisters. These men represent the old Ireland, those that stayed home, prospering or not, but rooted in the land of their fathers. Finbar has the guilt of one who abandoned the old ways and exhibits discomfort and the need to over-compensate when required to return for business.
Valerie walks the fine line between the two place settings. Having come from Dublin, she could be a “foreigner” to them, except for the fact that she has “come back” to a place visited as a happily married woman with a daughter to find calm after a traumatic somewhat spooky incident of her own. The telling of this story brings her personal comfort and whole-hearted acceptance by the men. By the end of the evening, a small family has been formed that will support each other.
Tina Anderson’s design of an Irish pub is straight out of the picture books – warm, welcoming, efficient, traditional with a never-ending supply of “small glasses.” Samantha Piel added her gift of dressing a set with authentic furnishings to complete the look. Sean Mallary and Rowan Livengood added the light and sound to make the inside and outside environments authentic. Special kudos must go to Jeffrey Parker for his excellent dialect training. These actors could enter any pub in the real Sligo and pass as a local.
BETC as a company is thriving by virtue of their choices of scripts to present, but also because of their reliance and faith in some of the finest actors and directors in Colorado. Candace Orrino, who previously directed the moving BETC production of CRY IT OUT, proves once again her tender touch with a small but meaningful story.
Being well sold out already by the first weekend, try hard to get a ticket quickly. You won’t be able to later.
A WOW factor of 9!!