The Mundys aren't exactly your normal Irish family of the 1930's. Five unmarried sisters and one bastard son do not exactly fit the mold of a traditional Christian family. Yet the Madison Theater Guild's production of Brian Friel's award-winning play, \Dancing at Lughnasa,"" shows effectively how the tragedy of this family is hardly just a product of their lack of convention.
The centerpiece of the five sisters, Michael, played thoughtfully by Patrick Fernan, has an almost ghostlike quality, as he is the narrator relaying information about the fate of his mother and aunts, while at the same time stepping in as his six-year-old self. The audience learns at the beginning of the play that the brother of the five sisters, Jack, a priest, has returned abruptly from his mission post at a Leper Colony in Uganda and is not in the best of mental health. Also Michael's father, Jerry Evans, has unexpectantly returned to Ballybeg. These events add to the tension of an already uneasy dynamic growing between the sisters.
Kate, the oldest of the sisters and most reserved, is played with just enough uptightness by Patricia Kugler Whitely. Peggy Rosin showcases her great stage presence as she plays the light-hearted but visibly defeated Maggie. Chris, the mother of Michael, is played by Stephanie Monday; and Sharon Brolin and Lisa Weinlader play Agnes and Rose, the two sisters who seem most detached from the life that Kate seems to be holding on so dearly to and Chris and Maggie can't escape. Although the return of both father Jack and Jerry seem to influence the deterioration of the family, the turbulent times of the 1930s emerge as the driving force in their collapse.
This memoir of an unraveling Irish family is hardly uplifting. Set in 1936, this play seems to not only examine a family in transition, but more broadly a world moving from the pastoral into a industrial and alienating modern age. This is a well-written and complex play which has earned a Tony award for its production on Broadway and has been made into a movie starring Meryl Streep. This production showcases excellent acting, especially in the case of Carl Cawthorne who plays the disorientated Jack with a slightly crazed and confused edge. Yet if you are not looking to see some emotionally heavy yet fascinating theater, ""Dancing at Lughnasa"" might not be for you.
