When an audience screams, jeers, and gets up to leave halfway through a performance, it usually means there's something wrong with the play at hand. Unless it's Sudipto Chatterjee's adaptation of the Irish comedy Playboy of the Western World.
In his production, which opened in the Balch Arena Theater over the weekend, the hecklers' antics were all part of the dramatic action.
Chatterjee's version of the 1907 play by J.M. Synge is meant to counter much of what some felt was wrong with the original production, which was greeted by protest when it made its debut in Ireland. Dubliners felt that Synge made a mockery of the Irish and that much of his material was inappropriate (though the furthest he goes is having the girls show a little petticoat).
Instead of presenting the show at face value, Chatterjee transports the audience back to early 20th century Ireland and lets them see the play as if they were surrounded by the original protesting crowd. There are, in fact, several members from this old world scattered throughout the audience.
And it works - sort of. The juxtaposition of the past and present through the inclusion of comic nuances is one of the only aspects of the play that keeps it interesting. The concept becomes clear shortly into the first act, when strains of the theme from Mission Impossible - which clearly does not belong in the proper Irish setting suggested by the costumes and scenery - echo through the theater. Though Chatterjee's efforts were creative, innovative, and dramatically polished, they unfortunately were not enough to save the play from its confusing plot and lack of developed characters.
That's not to say that the actors did not turn in impressive performances, complete with realistic Irish accents. The cast of Playboy is immensely talented - even though two of the jeering actors in the audience subsequently claim that they can play the roles better. The actors do, in fact, switch places during the second act, with James Foster-Keddie stepping in for Graham Griffin as Philly O'Cullen and Max Dionne stepping in for Graham Outerbridge (who exclaimed "I don't need this -I was in How I Learned to Drive!" in defense of his acting skills) as Jimmy Farrell. These pairs of actors switch off each night, changing who goes first in their respective roles.
There were other moments that featured cleverly placed lines specially geared towards the Tufts audience. At various times one of the rioters in the audience ordered for the actors to "kill the author," and the stage actors yell back that he is already dead. When the rioter yells, "kill the director," however, the actors retort, "He's Indian." But that doesn't seem to bother the rioter, and Chatterjee, in a brilliant cameo appearance, yells "Ohmigod!" and flees the Arena.
The cast members themselves deliver memorable performances as well, from Sarah Marcus's sultry Widow Quinn, to Josh Bauml's slurping Old Mahon (whose beard and clothing bore an uncanny resemblance to those of Osama Bin Laden), to, of course, Patrick Murray's Christy Mahon -the mysterious man who arrives in the village, reveals that he has killed his father, and steals the hearts of the gaggling ensemble of young girls who fawn over him each time he appears on stage.
But, at times, the accents covered up the dialogue and made it difficult to understand what was being said on stage. The actors made up for this to some extent through their interactions with each other and their ability to act as a cohesive ensemble. There were a few inconsistencies, however: for example, where were the protesters when one of the girls took off her petticoat and placed it over Christy's head so he could hide from his pursuers?
Though it sometimes seemed that there were so many actors crowding the floor of the Arena that it was hard to keep track of who was who, the ensemble scenes were by far the strongest moments in the production. Costumed in traditional Irish garb, the cast members performed three Irish folk songs and dances over the course of the play. Each time, they had the audience clapping in their seats. The music is all played live by the actors, who present a wide array of instruments ranging from fiddles to drums, and even a set of bagpipes.
It's a good thing that the musical numbers come one each at the beginning, the entr'acte, and the finale, because they pique an initial curiosity for the show - though it is not satisfied as fully as it could be. The story itself provides little excitement, but the realistic Irish world that Chatterjee has assembled on the Arena stage is creative in its own right. It's interesting to see the relationship between past and present through drama, and Playboy certainly succeeds in that respect.
Playboy of the Western World, Balch Arena Theater through Feb. 23. Tickets are $5 with a Tufts ID.
