Brian Friel's Aristocrats, at the Irish Rep, is an odd dish to swallow. It starts with long exposition by a family in a crumbling large manor house in Donegal, Ireland, as they talk legend and perhaps some fact to an American writing a piece about Irish past and personalities - while intrusive piano music dampens comprehension. As it goes on we see the play is a view of Irish "Aristocrats" as very ordinary and not very interesting people. A couple of possibilities for action are not pursued. At intermission, I asked several people what they thought the play is about. All were puzzled. By the end, I realized that it was about the deterioration of a dysfunctional family in the 1970s whose circumstances matched the crumbling of the physical old house. The hints at pre and post-play relationships do keep us involved with these bent, complex personalities.
The acting, as usual with this theater company, is excellent; the staging by Charlotte Moore beautifully utilizes the space, and the fine set by James Morgan gives an authentic flavor to the production.
