As I climbed the stairs to my seat at the 10th Avenue Theater, I saw the audience and wanted to shout for joy; I was the oldest by a couple of generations. There were senior high school and university students. San Diego, there may be hope for theater after all.
Once seated, I turned to the set. The action in Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West takes place in a house in the wee village of Leenane, County Galway, Ireland. I felt at home. The set could easily have been a friend's house in Dingle, a bit south of Leenane in County Cork. According to some travelers, Leenane is far from friendly, an exact opposite of Dingle. The Connor Brothers, Coleman (Ryan Ross) and Valene (Bobby Schiefer), exemplify this attitude, and McDonagh seems to have captured the character of the village, which is surrounded by barren hills.
While most city folk speak a commonly pronounced language, many of the isolated villages maintain their special speech patterns. Director Adam Parker, a stickler for authenticity, found a short recording of the special speech patterns practiced by the residents.
My feelings of déjà vu were complete when the brothers spoke their first words. The director demanded a total immersion into their lives, which meant that it took a few minutes for my ears to become accustomed to the authentic speech. For those not accustomed, it is thick in accent and, with these brothers, thick with profanity. Alas, being Irish we get words like feckin', shite, and beatch -- all words heard in any pub in Ireland. One grasps the accents quickly.
Besides the brothers, there are two (sadly) somewhat minor characters. Father Welsh (Brendan Cavalier), the local alcoholic parish priest, tries unsuccessfully to bring the warring brothers together. Valene collects plastic statues; Colman puts them in a bowl and melts them in their brand-new oven. The brothers can fight over the time of day. They pull sadistic pranks on each other. Playwright McDonagh evidently learned well from his years in Leenane. Father Welsh is overwhelmed.
The lovely Girleen (Claire Kaplan) visits the brother's digs on occasions. We learn much more about her in her second-act meeting with Father Welsh. As with the brothers, she evidences her own set of problems, which only compound as the play progresses.
The Lonesome West, as performed by Triad Productions, feels so authentic, I could easily close my eyes and believe I was in a bar in Galway. While this is a credit to director Parker, it is also a credit to a very dedicated cast. The three males are all products of San Diego State's excellent theatre department. Kaplan is currently at UCSD. All have an extensive background in theater with extremely varied roles.
There is a very special credit for fight coordinator, which belongs to Scott Andrew Amiotte. The brothers Connor, while somewhat civilized, also exhibit traits of brotherly competition and Irish temperament, which get extremely physical.
While not giving away plot points, they do get into a very serious wrestling match. The apartment is totally trashed. Then Girleen picks on Father Welsh in curtain calls (leading to, without a doubt, the most amusing curtain call I've ever seen, as pretty pinned priest and brother nailed brother.)
