Shining City by Conor McPherson at Stratford East
Sept 21, 2021 7:06:32 GMT
Jan, barelyathletic, and 3 more like this
Post by londonpostie on Sept 21, 2021 7:06:32 GMT
An inexpensive and uneasy evening at the gorgeous Stratford East venue starring Brendon Coyle, who some might remember as a brow-beaten man servant in Downton Abbey.
Perhaps not a play for those who like overt, strong emotional narratives. Rather, this felt more a Rubic cube of a puzzle; partly an emotional journey but also an intellectual wrestle. I was glad to have made the trip. Staff were lovely, as well.
Interesting to see from the Wikipedia entry >
– btw, no clues there about what we might take away from the play. It felt, at least partly, a homage to fellow Dubliner Sam Beckett but you take what you can, I think.
Fwiw, it breaks down into five sections and runs without a break for 1 hour 50.
Perhaps not a play for those who like overt, strong emotional narratives. Rather, this felt more a Rubic cube of a puzzle; partly an emotional journey but also an intellectual wrestle. I was glad to have made the trip. Staff were lovely, as well.
Interesting to see from the Wikipedia entry >
The play received two 2006 Tony Award nominations, for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play (Platt).[3][4] The New York Times critic Ben Brantley described it as a "Quiet, haunting and absolutely glorious new play... Shining City is as close to perfection as contemporary playwriting gets."
– btw, no clues there about what we might take away from the play. It felt, at least partly, a homage to fellow Dubliner Sam Beckett but you take what you can, I think.
Fwiw, it breaks down into five sections and runs without a break for 1 hour 50.
Anyway, in support of AD Nadia Fall and the great work done at Stratford East, here’s my stab at what seemed a somewhat elusive and entertaining revival >
{Spoiler - click to view}
It seems to take place in a Beckett-esque non-space…
One of two central characters is a recently ex-priest. Seems he has two major issues to resolve (a) his sexuality and (2) his damaged relationship with Godot, sorry God.
I think you can probably take away what you want about his sexuality. For my money he is probably gay-ish but will live a lie in order to do right by the baby, and woman. Others might say it was the sexual allure of a full-blooded Irish woman wot tempted him away from the righteous religious path.
More complicated is his relationship with God which, my best guess, is mirrored through the bereaved husband/failed adulterer. While he is estranged in relationship with God – and he will always suffer the guilt of that, ultimately, he tries to do the best he can anyway. He and … the other weren’t communicating terribly well through the God-phone at the best of times.
Bits of relationship dysfunction, emotional betrayal, guilt, separation and - a guess - non-closure (the ghosts). All neatly tied up in oblique masculine dialogue.
I can only make it work in my head by accepting a theme here was a Dublin-based homage to Dublin-born Beckett by Dublin-born Conor McPherson (his ‘shining city’) starring Dublin-born Rory Keenan (and Brendan Coyle, who merely studied drama in Dublin).
It probably resolves in a typically Becket way as just more bloody grind and struggle.
It seems to take place in a Beckett-esque non-space…
One of two central characters is a recently ex-priest. Seems he has two major issues to resolve (a) his sexuality and (2) his damaged relationship with Godot, sorry God.
I think you can probably take away what you want about his sexuality. For my money he is probably gay-ish but will live a lie in order to do right by the baby, and woman. Others might say it was the sexual allure of a full-blooded Irish woman wot tempted him away from the righteous religious path.
More complicated is his relationship with God which, my best guess, is mirrored through the bereaved husband/failed adulterer. While he is estranged in relationship with God – and he will always suffer the guilt of that, ultimately, he tries to do the best he can anyway. He and … the other weren’t communicating terribly well through the God-phone at the best of times.
Bits of relationship dysfunction, emotional betrayal, guilt, separation and - a guess - non-closure (the ghosts). All neatly tied up in oblique masculine dialogue.
I can only make it work in my head by accepting a theme here was a Dublin-based homage to Dublin-born Beckett by Dublin-born Conor McPherson (his ‘shining city’) starring Dublin-born Rory Keenan (and Brendan Coyle, who merely studied drama in Dublin).
It probably resolves in a typically Becket way as just more bloody grind and struggle.
