By Marilyn Jozwik
It felt like a grand re-opening at Lake Country Playhouse Thursday night. In so many ways.
Not only was it a return to in-person, live theater, but it was a chance to showcase all the improvements at the cozy community venue.
Sandra Renick gave us a tour before the show—John Patrick Shanley’s “Outside Mullingar”--mentioning the new HVAC system that ensures pure air throughout, new lighting including a flashy starburst chandelier in the roomier lobby (now that the piano and old box office are gone) and the new classic box office window at the top of the stars. There’s been fresh paint, new woodwork and art throughout.
And faces. Yes, faces and handshakes and hugs, when comfortable.
The small, but appreciative audience was well-spaced for this tender, heartwarming comedy by the playwright of “Doubt: A Parable” and screenwriter of “Moonstruck.”
The show, directed by Terry Haller, is set squarely in Ireland, in Mullingar, a town of about 21,000 in County Westmeath. In community theater, so much can go wrong when trying to manage any accent among the cast. Rebecca Richards served as the dialect coach and did a masterful job getting the cast of Breanne Brennan, Robb Bessey, Rob Kuhnen and Maggie Wirth sounding like natives of the Emerald Isle.
Rosemary (Breanne Brennan), Tony (Robb Bessey) and Aoife (Maggie Wirth) gather after the funeral of Aoife’s husband and Rosemary’s father in a scene from Lake Country Playhouse’s “Inside Mullingar.”
There’s something about that lilt in a brogue that just makes lines sound folksier, funnier and sometimes wiser. Like when Anthony (Kuhnen) produces a very dirty handkerchief from his pocket and Rosemary (Brennan) cringes, saying, “Eww, it’s half alive!”
Shanley’s story is a simple one and we see a few Irish cliches: the long-standing feud; the “cracked, mad” loner; the love of the land. In the end, it’s a love story.
The story opens with Tony Reilly (Bessey) and his son Anthony (Kuhnen) in their kitchen discussing the funeral of their neighbor. Soon the deceased’s widow, Aoife Muldoon (Maggie Wirth), joins the group and the discussion turns to Aoife’s daughter Rosemary (Brennan), who stays outside, smoking; a piece of property owned by the Muldoons that the Reillys need to cross to get to their home; who will get the farm when Tony passes; their own mortality.
Tony says, “The funeral reminds me that time is in short supply.”
In Act II, Anthony and Rosemary find themselves parentless as they continue to live side-by-side. The capable Rosemary tells her neighbor that she cleared the heather. “That’s a two-man job,” says Anthony. “Or a one-woman job,” Rosemary counters. The long-time neighbors catch up on the past few years, breaking through barriers and solving the mysteries of their enigmatic personas with humor and tenderness.
Shanley takes four simple people and shows how strong family ties and myths, culture, duty and, finally, love can complicate matters when stirred into the pot of life. His dialogue is wonderfully vivid, full of humor and sweetness. This cast enacts it beautifully.
The performers have created distinct characters as the audience peeks into the kitchens of the Reillys in Act I and Rosemary Muldoon in Act II. Bessey handles the cynical Tony Reilly with an aloof, unemotional manner that contrasts with his son Anthony’s more volatile, emotional nature. The two spar over things little and big. Tony says his son lacks joy in his work on the family farm, which has prompted him to consider selling it to another relative. Anthony feels stuck “in the fields” even when a voice in his head tells him “to go.” In the end there are respect, understanding and love between the two.
Wirth gives another memorable performance as the widow Aoife Muldoon, while Brennan gives Rosemary a spunky, no-nonsense character that is endearing.
A huge mural of green fields served as a fitting backdrop for the show, while the Reillys’ kitchen in Act I flipped efficiently and moved to the other side of the stage for the sturdy Muldoon kitchen in Act II.
IF YOU GO
WHO: Lake Country Playhouse
WHAT: “Outside Mullingar”
WHEN: Through July 2
WHERE: 2211 Capitol Drive, Hartland
INFO/TICKETS: www.lakecountryplayhouse.org