BWW Reviews: DANCING AT LUGHNASA at the Seattle Rep

The Seattle Rep is currently presenting Brian Friel's Irish familial saga, "Dancing at Lughnasa".  And while the show has some lovely moments, the play as a whole seemed sluggish and uneven.

The play centers on five unmarried Irish sisters in the 1930's who are desperately trying to keep their family together in their quickly changing world.  The free-wheeling Chris, whose seven year old son Michael lives with them, the slow witted Rose, the dreamer Agnes, the wise cracking Maggie and the stoic Kate are all doing the best they can with what little they have.  But then we add into the mix their brother Jack who has returned home from his missionary work in Uganda a little worse for wear and Michael's estranged father Gerry and we watch as the sister's lives seem to spiral out of their control.  It's really more of a look at these women and moments that shape them rather than an overlying story arc and that is where the production seems to run into problems.  It is just moments and the cast and director Sheila Daniels have trouble tying all of the stories together into a cohesive unit.  Consequentially the moments stick out and some manage to shine but the pace ends up muddy and slow.

The cast is filled with some wonderful talent and many of them come out swinging with chances to shine.  Cheyenne Casebier as Rose turns in a subtle performance as the sister with something slightly wrong and her scene in Act Two where she comes home after having disappeared for several hours is one of tragic beauty and yet with an air of triumph.  Gretchen Krich as the lively Maggie is bubbly and lovable with her bold and brash ways and makes every scene she has her own.  Todd Jefferson Moore as Jack is sublime as the broken soldier who only longs to get back to his former life and former coherence of mind.  And Mari Nelson as Kate commands the stage with her laser focused intentions.  And while all these performances and the rest were good in their individual pieces, they never came together to weave the rich tapestry that is this family.  All of which was doubly hampered by a pace that could not sustain interest for long.  Especially from Benjamin Harris as the adult embodiment of Michael whose long pauses after each line and unwavering cadence in his narration kept lulling me into a state of distraction. 

Ultimately an interesting look at a desperate family but the first real miss I've seen from the Rep in quite some time.  I've been quite impressed with Daniels' work and of course with the Rep shows in the past.  But I guess this just goes to prove that you really cannot win them all.

"Dancing at Lughnasa" performs at the Seattle Repertory Theatre though December 5^th.  For tickets or information contact the Rep box office at 206-443-2222 or visit them online at www.seattlerep.org.

Photo Credit: Chris Bennion

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