The Seafarer (The SOB Review) - Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, Illinois
*** (out of ****)When I saw
Conor McPherson's chilling play
The Seafarer on Broadway earlier this year,
I deadpanned that it's so damned good, it's practically enough to put the fear of God in you. Now, that fear is being instilled via regional productions throughout the United States, including in Chicago by
Steppenwolf.
Even if
Randall Arney's direction can't match McPherson's own taut vision, or
John Mahoney's blind drunkard Richard Harkin doesn't come anywhere near the breathtaking performance offered by
Jim Norton (who earned a very well-deserved Tony for his incredible work), this is still one helluva good yarn.
Time appropriate, not only for the holidays, but also for these troubled economic times,
The Seafarer remains one of the best new tales of redemption produced this year, and it's delivered here with gusto by
Francis Guinan as Richard's brother Sharky,
Alan Wilder as Ivan,
Randall Newsome as Nicky, and
Tom Irwin as Mr. Lockhart. In fact, the brilliant Wilder somehow captures the same comedic verve as
Conleth Hill, even without the former having seen the latter's Tony-nominated performance.
If there is a performance that manages to exceed the one I saw on Broadway, it was Francis Guinan's extraordinarily touching take as Sharky. Guinan once again imbues yet another of his wide-ranging characters with limitless shadings and nuance, in this case of a man who's not only been humiliated, but who's seeking redemption for his troubled soul. Guinan's excellent portrayal lifts the entire production.
While Steppenwolf's mounting can't beat the hand dealt on Broadway, this solid production deserves a full house nonetheless.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alan Wilder, Chicago, Conleth Hill, Conor McPherson, Francis Guinan, John Mahoney, Randall Newsome, Steppenwolf, The Seafarer, The SOB Review, Tom Irwin
The Seafarer (The SOB Review) - Booth Theatre, New York, NY***1/2 (out of ****)Conor McPherson's chilling new play
The Seafarer is so damned good, it's practically enough to put the fear of God in you.
And it's certainly enough to make you forever stay on the wagon, lest you ever drink yourself into oblivion and fall from grace for eternity.
In his mesmerizing new and often funny morality play set on Christmas Eve -- in a hellhole of a home (courtesy of
Rae Smith's shambles of a set design) in Baldoyle, a tiny town north of Dublin -- McPherson proves he's all aces. Both writing and directing this cautionary tale, he magnificently weaves a harrowing, on the edge of your seat nailbiter that's as much about giving the devil his due as it is about the potential for redemption for two card-playing good-for-nearly-nothing drunks for brothers.
The younger sibling Sharky (a somber
David Morse in a wonderfully measured performance) is clearly trying to overcome his prolonged battle with the bottle. With his life littered with broken dreams, it's no wonder his wife has left him for his more youthful mate Nicky (a subtle charmer
Sean Mahon). Tending to his elder sibling Richard (a breathtaking
Jim Norton), who appears to have literally drunk himself blind, Sharky is now making a conscious choice for sobriety this holiday.
It certainly can't help that Richard's obsessed with drinking his way through Christmas, or that Sharky's friends Ivan (an utterly unrecognizable
Conleth Hill at the top of his game) and Nicky show up for a long night of cards and hard drinking. But the hand Sharky had not expected to be dealt is manifested in a mysteriously dapper Mr. Lockhart (a devilishly delightful
Ciarán Hinds) accompanying Nicky.
When Mr. Lockhart plays his hand privately with Sharky, he reveals that the two met once before -- exactly 25 years earlier that very evening. Turns out Sharky had been so incoherently inebriated that he couldn't recall the grievous sins he committed way back then. Mr. Lockhart had essentially served as his angel of mercy, albeit a dark one, providing Sharky with salvation at a steep price. Now, Mr. Lockhart is back, as promised, to collect what Sharky owes him.
Mr. Lockhart allows that all can be settled through a high stakes game of poker, giving a brilliant new twist to a deal with the devil.
What makes this play all the more gripping are the ingenious touches from the haunting lighting and sound designs offered by
Neil Austin and
Matthew Smethurst Evans, respectively. Another nice touch that can easily be missed if you're not looking for it is Rae Smith's costume selection for Mr. Lockhart. If there's any doubt who he really is, just check out the inside lining of his suit jacket.
I strongly recommend
The Seafarer. It's one helluva play.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:After Seeing, Faring With Critics (December 7, 2007)
Seafarer Opens Sail On Great White Way Tonight (December 6, 2007)
All Of Great White Way Gleams Tonight (November 29, 2007)
Add August To The List? (November 14, 2007)
Strike Fallout, Part Two? Opening Nights In Question (November 12, 2007)
McPherson's Seafarer To Navigate Broadway In Fall (June 14, 2007)
Sunday At The Grosvenor House With Laurence (February 19, 2007)
Laurence Olivier Award Nominations Announced (January 18, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Ciaran Hinds, Conleth Hill, Conor McPherson, David Morse, Jim Norton, Play, Sean Mahon, The Seafarer, The SOB Review
