By: Jon Behm
Conor McPherson’s Shining City can be a difficult play to sit through. The dark tale of Irish loneliness and depression is not something that will leave you feeling like the road is rising to meet you. That being said, it is also a realistically unpolished play, and its characters draw you in to commiserate with their struggles. After all, sadness is perhaps the most binding human emotion next to love. We have all been miserable before, and like the characters in Shining City we try to find solace in communicating with those around us.
Patrick Bailey as Ian and Cheryl Willis as Neasa in The Jungle Theater production of SHINING CITY - Photo by Michal Daniel
McPherson currently writes from the standpoint that “human beings are animals. 90 % of our behavior is animal behavior, and we’ve just got this 10% veneer, the semblance of civilized, rational choice.” None of his characters have the benefit of having the answers, or even knowing why they do the things that they do. John (J.C. Cutler) is a self-professed “normal” businessman, who has had his world turned upside down by the death of his wife, whose ghost continues to follow him. He attempts to get help from ex-priest Ian (Patrick Bailey), who is in the process of trying to leave his pregnant girlfriend, Neasa (Cheryl Willis) whilst dealing with his own demons. The play is heavily dialogue-based, all of it taking place in one apartment in lengthy soliloquies by each actor. While the characters stutter and shout at one another, attempting to rationalize the world around them, it becomes clear that no one really has any semblance of control.
The show’s wordiness drags it a bit down in some places, taking away from the otherwise realistic dialogue. It also, at times, exposes weaknesses in the actors Irish dialects - which were otherwise very consistent, due to dialect coach Lucinda Holshue’s instruction. At times though, Neasa’s lower class Irish accent sounded a bit off - though not extremely noticeable she more than once lapsed into overdone crescendos of the fake Irish accent. Additionally McPherson’s dialogue seemed a bit lengthy for the kind of anger we were meant to believe she is venting at Ian.
Cutler’s dialect for his character, John, was by far the strongest. He was also perhaps, the most engaging actor in the play. Every part of Cutler’s mannerisms and movements seemed to be in tune with what John was feeling and going through. Many of his lines are hemming, hawing, and unfinished sentences. In the mouth of a lesser actor this type of dialogue can be excruciating to bear. Luckily Cutler maintains John’s natural awkwardness effortlessly. Though he has few lines, Nathan Christopher is worth mentioning as well, playing the young prostitute Laurence with eyes that tell his whole story.
Perhaps the most amazing presence on the stage was the incredible set design by Joel Sass, who also directed the show. Every detail, from trickling rain on the windowpane to the deep hallway outside the flat; is perfect. Everything about the space was realistic, and even clouds move by in the background, through the window. Props to Prop Master John Novak too (pun intended), for noticing every detail, down to the table lamp with a British style plug.
Like a crabby old man, Shining City has a few weak spots and is particularly reliant on dialogue. Overall though he is an old man with a good heart, and though McPherson’s characters are confused and foolish, one can tell that the playwright feels nothing but compassion for the poor stumbling beasts.
Location Info:
The Jungle Theater
Artist Info: The Jungle Theater
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