David – They made
it incredibly easy. They happen to be very generous. There was a real sense of
exploration. Even now on-stage, it hasn't ended. It began in rehearsals, it
goes on every night.
Ciaran – There's
still journeys being made, in different corners going around at different
corners. There's life and that moment of "where are we now?" can still arrive.
David – It's
amazing when you watch Jim. It's like watching an incredible symphony. They set
that bar pretty high.
Eugene – The Devil is more like a man of
legend with so much literature and faith over so many centuries that have
created him. How did you come to shape Mr. Lockhart?
Ciaran – In the
end, there's Conor McPherson's interpretation through the writing. From Mephistopheles,
Satan, Lucifer… there's different images of spouting fire and horns and tails.
The idea that the Devil would come back into human form, their shell, he says:
"These insect bodies… and being left-handed is a really pisser as well." The
idea of the Devil that Conor arrives at is a quiet rage that he can never ever
be redeemed. Even though he believes he's more intelligent and true, he's made
a mistake, a big one for which he will be eternally punished. He's back on
Earth to reach out to try to find some human contact, even if he despises it,
because he's so lonely. And then the Devil gets drunk!
Eugene – Should we have sympathy for him that
he's so lonely?
Ciaran – Everybody
has choices, don't they? I know there's a sense of relief whenever he's beaten.
David – I think
what Conor has done is created a really full kind of creature that invites you
to have sympathy. But he's not just one thing and there's no "should you feel."
Eugene – Lockhart has a phenomenal monologue
where he describes Hell as a place where it is so cold, and you're so alone;
nobody cares about you and you can't be a part of any warmth with people. I
felt like I took offense because I know that Hell. We all have felt that kind
of Hell. To have it spoken out-loud that this is what Hell is…? Why do you
think Conor made Hell sound so familiar?
Ciaran – It's a
personal version; but people can also touch on that sense of loneliness.
Instead of fire and brimstone, but an awful coldness we feel as human beings
sometimes, that hopefully doesn't last too long. Instead of these huge paintings with the
pageantry of torture and terror with moments of panic and no relief. It's
worse!
David – This was
not a description of Hell that I had heard anywhere before, but it sounded
absolutely perfect. I don't think I'd ever read anything that so clearly said
that is what eternal suffering is.
Ciaran – It's a
good laugh as well! You feel these words tumbling out. The audience doesn't
know these people. Who are they? You smell them. Like Irish trash. But then
finally their life stories rush in and there's a great rush of humanity.
Eugene – To feed a terrible stereotype, but
it's not an Irish play without one main character: Alcohol. Curiously enough,
Sharky stays away from the drink a lot, while everyone else, including the
Devil, is bottoms up. What role does that play?
David – Because
he has such a problem with alcohol, until he finally drinks, he doesn't feel
like himself. He finally has to give-in
so he can take on that last battle just to feel himself. Of course that creates
all kinds of problems of its own. But it's been the trouble he's had all his
life. It's not just a fight he gets into – but he tells the truth! And people
just don't want to hear it.
Ciaran – You see
what happens when he drinks… all Hell breaks loose!
Eugene – This is a play about five men, so
masculinity is very present. Sharky is at the mercy of not just one man, but
two: His brother and The Devil. What does Sharky lose or what does it mean for
him to be at the mercy of another man?
David – It starts
with being at the mercy of his own father. He's never dealt with that. It's the
road of what has happened to him; his father and his fists. He's really trying
to be the good kid and the good son his whole life.
Eugene – Jim's character, Richard, just rips
on Sharky so much, over and over again… Sharky is a genuinely good guy (sure,
he has faults), so for much of the play I wanted him to get off your back!
David – When
Sharky gets up in the morning, he thinks to himself: "I'm not going to let him
get to me today. Not today. We're going to get through it…" and it just hits
him and wears him down.
Ciaran – He's a
cantankerous, curmudgeon of a man. It's
this need of the older brother to keep bullying the younger brother. And yet
there's this kind of deep-bond he needs as well. He likes it when Sharky's in
good-form and balanced, but he can't resist just poking him and scratching him.
It's very human and can be funny as well.
Eugene – David, your recent work has been TV
and film. What's it like devoting yourself to the stage again?
David – I've
longed to do it. It's been ten years since How
I Learned to Drive. To be out there on-stage with these fellows – it's
probably one of the greatest gifts to have. These are incredible men and a
tremendous play. And I would give Conor a good deal of credit for that.
Ciaran – He's
remarkable. He's not like a director in the theatrical-way, but more of a
psychological kind of way of how we are as human beings and how we connect.
There has to be fun, but also the edge – and he constructs them in a very
organic way.
Eugene – You're both adding some great meat
to a great season of plays. After a night at the Booth Theatre, what are
audiences walking away with?
Ciaran – You
genuinely see this warmth of people having been to a real shared-experience
with an audience and actors. You know that they're full of something… full of
humanity.
The critically
acclaimed production of Conor McPherson's The
Seafarer performs at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street). The production,
directed by McPherson, stars Conleth Hill, Ciaran Hinds, Sean Mahon, David
Morse and Jim Norton. Tickets ($98.50 -
$76.50) are available at Telecharge 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com. Show times are
Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM and
Sunday at 3 PM. For more information
visit www.SeafarerThePlay.com
Photos by Joan Marcus (top-bottom): David Morse and Ciaran Hinds; Ciaran Hinds as Lockhart; David Morse as Sharky
