SHINING CITY: HILARIOUS AND TRAGIC

8. May 2011 by admin.

Guest reviewer Michael Buzzelli is in the critic’s seat this week.

Gather around the fire, it’s time for a ghost story. The Off the Wall Theatre presents Conor McPherson’s Shining City, a tale about secrets and lies, but, at the heart of the play, is a compelling ghost story.

John (Out’s own F.J. Hartland) is an insomniac. He turns to Ian (Dennis Schebetta) for help. Ian is a brand spanking new therapist willing get at the heart of John’s fears, but John believes his fears are metaphysical not psychological; he is plagued by the ghostly image of his dead wife.

The pragmatic psychologist doesn’t believe in ghosts but he does believe in guilt (they are Irish, after all). He believes John’s ghost sightings of his dead wife revolve around the widower’s tumult of emotions; the unhappily married business man was prone to looking for a solution outside of his marriage. John discusses a sad tale about a beautiful new woman he fixates on, and then, discloses a weirdly comical experience in a brothel.

As the play progresses, we learn that Ian would benefit from the old aphorism, “physician heal thyself.”  The disheveled therapist is a former priest with more than one secret.  The psychologist’s fiancé Neasa (a terrific Karen Baum) pays a social call and exposes one of Ian’s secrets and one of her own (she had a brief  affair with another man while living with Ian’s relatives). Laurence (a charismatic James Maschiovecchio) reveals Ian’s other secret. Without being too spoilery, Out Online readers may find this aspect of the storyline very interesting.

Set in Dublin, the Baum and Hartland have masterful Irish accents. Maschiovecchio has a decent one, but his scene is short and his character is the least talky of the cast. Hat’s off to Dialect Coach Erika Cuenca. Though,  Schebetta’s accent could use a little work.

Baum’s Neasa is an amazing portrayal of the downtrodden new mum. You can feel her pain as she begs for a reconciliation with her boyfriend/baby daddy, Ian.

Hartland commands the stage when he espouses the details of his marriage and his attempts at infidelity.  His monologues munch up the scenery. The play is mostly monologues and as such it’s a gabfest, but Director John Shepard keeps the action moving. Like any McPherson play, the story is both hilarious and tragic, sometimes at the exact same time.  The play is bookended with a joke about an uncooperative speaker phone.

Lighting is not normally critiqued in a play review, but the lighting in this show has to be flawlessly timed. Michael E. Moats does a splendid job lighting throughout the show, but, especially, the final moments of the performance, when the timing is critical. By the way, Set Designer Paul A. Shaw has a nice eye for detail and pulls off a brilliant magic trick. Several audience members must have been wondering, “How did he do that?”

The play has a surprise ending which jolted Friday’s audience; loud gasps reverberated through the theater. If you know the ending, keep your lips sealed for the finale.

Shining City runs from May 6^th to May 21st at the Off the Wall Theater, 147 N. Main Street, Washington, PA. Contact them at www.insideoffthewall.com.

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