OLIVER KIMOKEO | online editor
It all began with a Marconi radio. A radio which had a mind of its own.
The Marconi never follows the true intentions of its operator. It serves its purpose by waiting to provide a backdrop, a soundtrack to be precise, for emotions to erupt, for insecurities to ease, and for lives to unfold.
Such is the predicament for the five adult Mundy sisters in Dancing at Lughnasa, an adaptation of the Brian Friel Tony Award-winning play as the university's latest theatre production. Even though the title may suggest a musical, this is no debutante ball. Instead, it's an Irish summer festival set in the summer of 1936. All of the sisters have avoided marriage and half of them are unemployed.
The youngest sister Christina (Maggie McGurn) is like a wilting flower, once ready to bloom her true colors but has allowed the world to crush her precious spirit. She previously had a fling with Gerry Evans (Mark Kopitzke), a charismatic gramophone salesman who never found a makeshift outdoor dancefloor he didn't like. He returns to the Mundy cottage to ask Christina's hand in marriage-she is not so eager to reciprocate his proposal.
"It was definitely a long process to dive into our characters," McGurn said. "I connected with my character right away. She's so sad and it's hard not to feel bad for her. I identified with her through experiences in my past. I like my first scene with Gerry. It was scary and terrifying, great emotion to feel. It was nerve racking but it's really powerful, romantic, and sweet."
Dancing at Lughnasa functions as a memory play, softly narrated by Michael Evans (Marc Jackson). Jackson portrays his character along a wide open ocean, smoothing flowing easily with the action despite being permanently stationed away at the front corner of the stage. All of the others interact with Michael as a seven-year-old as if he were positioned on the stage with them.
The four other sisters contribute to a strong female ensemble. Rose (Katie Elsaesser) is a free-spirit, refusing to conform to society's standards and clad like a tornado, mismatching a dowdy blue flannel outfit with a bandana and a pair of rain boots.
Maggie (Lauren Mayfield) loves to break into song, and is so overjoyed by what she hears on the Marconi, she takes the flour she's been mixing with her hands and rub it all over her face. Mayfield's performance is a pleasant surprise. At first, Maggie may seem as moonstruck as Rose but she's also forceful in her speech and assertive for what she desires.
Agnes (Jennifer Carbajal) tends to sit back from the family interaction, knitting away her existence with a ball of yarn in seclusion. She'll contemplate her next move before making it but will amuse herself to frolic when the situation aries. Kate (Ashley Crosby) is the oldest sister, and the only character who has a job. She's maternal by instinct and necessity, always looking out in the best interests for her sisters.
"It's an absolutely beautifully written play," said Rachel Tracie, assistant professor for the Department of Theater, Film, and Television and Dancing at Lughnasa director. "When I first encountered the play, I was so immersed in it. It's a true ensemble piece. Everyone has equal parts and they're all so reliant on each other. There are wonderfully strong roles for women, and men too."
All of the sisters await the return of their priest brother, Father Jack (Mikael Taylor), who has returned to the cottage after a 25-year stint as a missionary in a leper colony in Uganda. He is stricken with malaria and can't recall his left shoe from his right but, by golly, he has a spunk in his step. The sisters are mesmerized by Jack, following his every word with the greatest of attention spans.
When Taylor steps into the shoes of Jack, he has truly become him. Jack is a fragile individual, always leaning on his cane for support. Jack's untamed hair demonstrates an eccentricity, which peaks in a scene when he dons a whimsical costume to parade around in. The most humorous moment in Dancing at Lughnasa is when Gerry and Jack trades hats in a outside picnic, which has to be encountered in person to fully appreciate the pandemonium it ignites.
"Jack has been situated in Africa for 25 years and I went on a six-week missions trip," Taylor said. "The longing I felt through only six weeks, I can't imagine feeling that for 25 years. But that experience helped me get into character and realize how out of place he felt and the culture shock that he felt on his return."
Dancing at Lughnasa's draws its biggest reactions from the subtleties each actor brings to his or her character even though the dialogue is superb. As the performance progresses past intermission, the audience will truly feel empathy for these people as they go through their joys and disappointments.
"Even though there's beautiful language, it's also very much about the spaces in between what we say." Tracie said. "It's the breakdown in communication when Uncle Jack is trying to find the right words and when Gerry and Christina can't speak or utter their longings and desires, they dance."
And it all comes back to the Marconi radio, center-pieced in a room with yellow-tinted walls, wicker baskets, a brick fireplace, and a proud wood table. The radio in far from mint condition. In fact, its imperfection symbolizes the twists and turns of love as it moves along the river of life.
When the Marconi does not function correctly, there is a haunting silence, splicing the dead air with unrefined precision. However, when the Marconi releases melodious notes from its crackling rusty cage, everyone drops their predispositions and dances rhythmically in a rapturous delight.
"I feel like each character has something someone can relate to," Taylor said. "And I hope the audience will find someone to see their faults in and grow from the experience now that there is other people out there who feel the same."
Dancing at Lughnasa continues its three-week run with eight more performances at the Main Stage Theater. The play, rated teen for mature thematic material, will commence at 7:30 p.m. during the weekends of February 5-7 and 12-14 and there will be Saturday matinée performances at 2 p.m. on February 7 and 14. Contact the Theater department for further information.
