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THE BELLE OF BELFAST
How religion has divided human beings one from another is
not a mystery. When we are
indoctrinated into any formal (or informal, for that matter) belief system,
those beliefs become Truth. And,
if my truth trumps your truth, you lose and I win or we fight and we all lose. Playwright Nate Rufus Edelman examines
these issues in this world premiere presentation.
The Irish are a lovely lot. In a Simpsons episode a while back the show parodied the
different ‘Heavens’ where the “saved”
might go. The Irish Catholics were
portrayed on a cloud that featured donnybrooks and booze. When folks lean toward a wee drop and a
dust up, this sets the scene, at least in part, for The Troubles that plagued
Northern Ireland for over twenty years.
The loyalist Catholics and the Protestants had issues that divided their
country in a vicious way. Anne Malloy
(effective Sarah Gise), is a ‘wild child’ orphaned when a bomb blast claimed
her parents when she was just eleven. Now seventeen, she struggles with all the
angst of any girl her age, exacerbated by deep feelings of abandonment and an
escalating lust for the local priest, Father Ben Reilly (the excellent Daniel
Blinkoff). Blinkoff manages to
capture at once the deep conviction that must hold sway for anyone taking the
cloth and believably shows the struggle we imagine any man might face when
confronted with undeniable urges.
In the Irish film The
Magdalene Sisters, the penetrating heartbeat thrum of the bodhran narrates
the first reel with genuine passion. The Irish frame drum is heard again here
in the pre-show. It is 1985 in Belfast. Illustrated with projected slides of
cheeky Irish kids, marches in the streets and the detritus of civil war the
tension is passionate and palpable.
The music is not credited, but may have been The Chieftains or The
Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem who even still today share the heart of Irish
music around the world. Penny whistle and fiddle skim over the resonate beat and
musically set the scene. Belfast is a battlefield where there ought to be
peace. The music melds well with Pablo Santiago’s lighting and spare scenic
design by Hana S. Kim.
Elderly Emma Malloy (the wonderful Carol Locatell) attempts
to make her confession to the amiable Father Reilly. In fact, she is a lonely lady, the great aunt of Anne. She is frustrated that her great niece
is out of control. She steals a moment near the end of the play when she makes
her final confession.
Feckin’, arse and bollocks salt and pepper the text not only
through Anne, but the priests themselves as they gossip in the rectory. Bill
Meleady as the elder priest, Father Dermot Behan, may be a bit too
stereotypically a drunk, where moderation in the character might show not only a
touch of sympathy, but decorum as well. However,
director Claudia Weill, has her actors in check for the most part and the well
defined characters are sad and funny and touching.
The accents are not Ulster, thank goodness, and mostly
consistent. The women were more
difficult to understand than the men.
Anne’s girlfriend, Clara Murphy (spot on Caitlin Gallogly who could
easily have played Anne as well) is a handy foil. Her special moment is
delivered in a tender rendition of the last verse of a haunting Irish ballad, The Parting Glass, to honor their
school chum who has perished in a bomb blast which virtually rocks the theater.
Though the lesson of the play is not to understand The
Troubles, per se, we do become deeply involved in the motives and ethics of the
characters as their lives unfold in this time of war, well told in Edelman’s
play.
Please go to see it for yourself.
Please go to see it for yourself.
The Belle of Belfast
By Nate Rufus Edelman
Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles
At The Atwater Village Theater
3269 Casitas Avenue
Atwater, CA 90039
Through October 28, 2012 in repertory
with Year of the Rabbit
with Year of the Rabbit
$25.00
323 644 1929
www.ensemblestudiotheatrela.org
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