LA Weekly
Wednesday, September 25, 2002

The Playboy of the Western World
Recommended, Pick of the Week

‘Tis a grand tale that Irish poet-playwright John Millington Synge (1871–1909) tells in his wild and woolly account of rural milquetoast Christy Mahon (Brad Price), who becomes a local hero when he first confesses and then starts boasting how he just murdered his father by clobbering him on the head with a shovel. This hilarious indictment of our propensity for romanticizing rogues and villains continues to resonate in an era when rappers must be gangstas in order to be "authentic," and Synge rings endless variations on the theme. Price’s Christy is almost too obviously a schmuck to be entirely credible in the early scenes, but he grows into the role. Sara Hennessy shines as the country spitfire Pegeen Mike, who vies with the vampish Widow Quinn (Laura Russell) for Christy’s favors. Matthew Henerson provides a larger-than-life portrait of the indestructible Old Mahon, and the spirited ensemble nimbly captures Irish peasant credulity, cupidity, extravagance and sheer love of language. Director Damaso Rodriguez’s broad yet subtle production is exuberantly physical, affectionately embracing Synge’s bushels of blarney as well as his spectacular knockabout comedy. The admirably detailed set by Shawn Lee and Melissa Teoh, well-worn costumes by Teoh, lighting by Christie Wright and Gaelic-flavored sound design by Vonessa Martin ably evoke the isolation of Ireland’s western territories circa 1900. Furious Theater Company, Armory Northwest, 965 Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena; Fri.-Sun., 8:30 p.m.; thru Oct. 13. (818) 679-8854.

—Neal Weaver



Backstage West
Wednesday, September 25, 2002

The Playboy of the Western World

Even before the lights dim, the audience is transported back to turn-of-the-last-century Ireland. The gorgeous set makes you feel as if you've walked into a dusty pub in the middle of nowhere as melancholy dirges play. There's even a glossary of terms within the program to help you decipher some of the more challenging colloquialisms that will be heard throughout the evening. But the glossary isn't much help once the action starts. The words in J.M Synge's script come so rapidly it takes the ear a few moments to adjust to the thick Irish accents of the colorful locals. Then a young stranger, Christy (Brad Price), stumbles into the pub, recounting a powerful story of how he murdered his own father. Instead of reacting with the expected horror, the townsfolk regard him as a hero and turn Christy into Mayo's most eligible bachelor. Things come undone when his not-so-dead father comes seeking revenge.

Synge's script may be a classic, but it is nonetheless flawed. We're never made to understand why Christy's tale is of such fascination to these people, and some great comedic opportunities are missed. A romance between Christy and the fiery bar owner Pegeen (Sara Hennessy) isn't fully fleshed, and his devotion to her when she turns on him doesn't quite ring true. It would seem more satisfying if Christy were a braggart trapped by his own lies, but the audience only feels sorry for the poor lad who is caught by accidental untruths. Also unclear is why the town bad girl (Laura Russell) goes out of her way to help Christy win the affections of her enemy Pegeen.

Luckily a superb cast rises above the script's shortcomings. Russell has as much fun vamping as we do watching her. Eric Pargac takes what could have been a thankless role as Pegeen's rejected fiancé and makes the sniveling second-choice love interest sweetly appealing. Matthew Henerson is a wonderfully imposing presence as the furious father. In smaller roles, Amber Collins, Vonessa Martin, and Megan Goodchild are hilarious as Christy's adoring groupies.

The production values are equally flawless. The scenic design by Shawn Lee and Melissa Teoh is so authentic you think you see the rolling hills of Ireland in the background. Director Dámaso Rodriguez makes good use of the space, particularly in staging a surprisingly violent fight scene that uses every inch of the set. The atmosphere is so warm and inviting you'll want to cozy right up to the bar and ask for a "supeen" of "poteen"—what the glossary will tell you is their finest alcohol.

"The Playboy of the Western World," presented by Furious Theatre Company at the Furious Theatre @ Armory Northwest, 965 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. Fri.-Sun. 8:30 p.m. Sept. 20-Oct. 13. $15. (818) 679-8854.
--Jenelle Reilly



Los Angeles Times
Thursday, September 26, 2002

An Evocative 'Playboy of the Western World'
A rock-solid staging of John Millington Synge's poetic comedy holds the work’s earthiness and lyricism intact.

By F. KATHLEEN FOLEY, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Furious Theatre Company, an up-and-coming group that has recently staged two well-regarded U.S. premieres, tests its creative mettle on a classic in "The Playboy of the Western World" at the Armory Northwest in Pasadena.

It's hard to believe that John Millington Synge's fiercely poetic comedy occasioned riots when first produced by the Abbey Theatre in 1907. The play, about a wandering Irish lad whose proclaimed act of patricide makes him a popular hero in a rural County Mayo community, outraged Dubliners of the day, who found Synge's earthy, feckless peasant characters unacceptably coarse, a violation of the sentimental folk archetypes they held dear.

Under the direction of Dámaso Rodriguez, this "Playboy" traverses the familiar terrain of Synge's masterpiece with earthiness and lyricism intact. This is a rock-solid, even occasionally inspired staging, marred only by slow-starting performances in a couple of critical roles.

The play's provenance and period are perfectly re-created--no mean feat for an American company not accustomed to the quicksilver cadences of the Irish tongue. The appealing cast's impeccable accents lend authenticity to the proceedings, as does the beautifully realized set by Shawn Lee and Melissa Teoh, two talented designers whose work bears watching. Teoh also did the impressive period costumes, Vonessa Martin the superlative sound, and Christie Wright the effective lighting. Hair and makeup stylist Christa McCarthy makes the actors look convincingly scruffy, as if they had dug a few potatoes and trotted through a few bogs before convening in this modest rural pub.

That pub, owned by the boozy Michael James (Robert Harlan Greene) and presided over by his young and feisty daughter, Pegeen Mike (Sara Hennessy), is the unlikely setting for mystery, romance, high drama and low comedy--all part and parcel of Synge's bittersweet romp. When Christy Mahon (Brad Price), a befuddled wayfarer, staggers into the pub with the story of how he murdered his abusive father with a shovel, the locals embrace him as their favorite son, marveling at his daring.

Prickly Pegeen Mike falls for Christy in short order, openly vying for his affections against the likes of the Widow Quin (effectively sultry Laura Russell), a scheming mantrap who wants Christy for her own. The tone of the play is pitch perfect--almost. Effective in the play's wrenching conclusion, Hennessy and Price are a bit anemic in their early scenes, seldom conveying the full-bodied longing under their characters' artless inexperience. Matthew Henerson is an unalloyed delight as Christy's boozy father, a raucous, filthy crowd-pleaser who takes the action to manic new heights whenever he's on stage.



KCRW.
Theatre Talk 10/03/02

From the Furious Theatre Company is another familiar title, J.M. Synge’s "The Playboy of the Western World." This dark comedy of the Irish underclass, written nearly 100 years ago, begins on a miserable, rain-soaked night, when a mysterious stranger walks into a country pub. Oh, he’s got a rather dangerous story to tell, one which grabs the imagination of the locals, especially the women. Soon the stranger re-invents himself as a daring hero (with a lot of help from the adventure-starved peasants) and almost lives up to it. Under Damaso Rodriguez studied direction, the production looks and sounds terrific, and is filled with talented performers who respect and honor Synge’s colorful text and characters . . . If anything, perhaps the company respects the work too much, and deprives itself of the raw energy that first drew attention to this masterful play. "The Playboy of the Western World" is at the Armory Northwest in Pasadena through October 13.

--Jennie Webb