It’s said that everyone has a story, and in PCPA’s version of The Weir, everyone does—each one filled with sadness, laughter, torment, and a bit of the supernatural.
To summarize this play is to do it an injustice. It’s simple in concept—set in the fictional rural Irish town of Carrick, four local men are having drinks and swapping ghost stories in an attempt to impress Valerie, a recent arrival from Dublin who just bought a nearby home.
The men carry on like rowdy local boys do, with lots of drinking, cursing, and rivalry, and plenty of colloquial speak peppered throughout. But with the entrance of Valerie, the mood changes. Each man begins to tell spooky stories about the “haunted” house Valerie just bought, about the fairy road and the weir. Each story draws the friends—and newcomer Valerie—through a flood of emotion as they come to a better understanding of each other and themselves. The eerie tales become increasingly disturbing, until Valerie surprises the group and tells a tale of her own.
Surprisingly deep for a story set in a pub, The Weir is an examination of human emotion told under the guise of fairy stories and supernatural experiences. It’s performed so beautifully, it will keep you riveted. Humorous spots connect the dark themes throughout and keep the audience figuring out whether to laugh, cry, feel fear, or do all at once.
It’s doubtful that the Marian Theatre or the Solvang Festival Theater could be as perfect a locale for this tale. The intimacy of the Severson Theatre adds to the atmosphere, creating the illusion of being in a pub, overhearing a group of friends, perhaps at the next booth. That intimacy was exactly what this script called for, and PCPA delivered it spot on. With a rustic Irish pub setting and dim lighting offering a warm glow, the Severson Theatre is transformed into a place where friends gather, the drink flows, and ghost stories abound. If you like feeling like you are a part of the story, this is the place to do just that.
PCPA resident actors Peter S. Hadres, who plays the somewhat used-up Jack, and Andrew Philpot, who plays businessman Finbar, a blue-collar hometown boy who turned white collar, both offer seamless portrayals of their characters. They don’t merely act, they become two locals in a pub in the Irish countryside. Jerry Lee, playing Brendan, the youthful pub owner, offers a fresh counter to Hadres’ Jack and Philpot’s Finbar, bringing color to the role of the bartender with a good ear and stout pour. Guest Artist Evans Eden Jarnefeldt provides much needed levity as Jim, the slightly dim, but well-meaning assistant to Jack. And Elizabeth Stuart wrenches hearts as the troubled Valerie.
Playwright Conor McPherson has received acclaim for his contemporary plays since entering the Irish and international theater scene with this haunting tale when it was first performed in 1997 by the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. Though he had been writing before, The Weir was the then 26-year-old’s first major international success. The Weir examines themes, such as isolation, found in many of his other plays, like His Dublin Carol (2000), Port Authority (2001), Shining City (2004), and 2006’s The Seafarer.
Director Patricia M. Troxel said that McPherson’s work “continues a long tradition of Irish storytellers whose tales teach about the pain of isolation and the power of hearth, home, and compassion to redeem us from the loneliness and fear rampant in our modern lives.”
Troxel headed the design team that includes Scenic Designer Abby Hogan, Costume Designer Misti Bradford, Lighting Designer Mike Johnson, Sound Designer Jeremy Fryckman, and Stage Manager Amy Barrick—a team that did amazing work in bringing the setting to life.
Troxel called The Weir a play about “ordinary things,” about their eeriness and their familiarity, about nostalgia and charm, and about the universality of humanity’s desire to fathom and to understand.
The play certainly takes audiences on a personal exploration of human nature, through laughter, through anger, through sadness, and most of all through friendship. The only thing missing is a pint of Guinness in your hand.
INFOBOX: Creep on in
The Weir plays in the Severson Theatre through Oct. 5. Tickets cost $16.25 to $26. For more information, call 922-8313 or visit www.pcpa.org
Arts Editor Shelly Cone believes friendship is best experienced with a pint of Guinness. Join her in a toast at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 18-25, 2008.