Philadelphia Here I Come

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Adrian Dunbar diects Friel's play

By Brian Friel. Directed by Adrian Dunbar. With Ruaidhri Conroy, Marty Rea, Eileen Pollock, Walter McMonagle, Pauline Hutton, Myles Purcell, John O'Toole, Stella McCusker, Peter Holmes, Nick Hardin, Conan Sweeney, Marc O'Shea, David Quinn & Denis Quilligan.

Gaiety Theatre Dublin until  21 February, Dean Crowe Theatre & Arts Centre Athlone, 23-28 February,  Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork,  1-6 March.

Societal repression in 1960s rural Ireland forms the central tenet of Brian Friel's breakthrough play. This revival, 40 year's on, still strikes a chord. Always the master of the subtle approach, Friel in Philadelphia leaves us wondering what might have happened and depicts a future full of much uncertainty. The setting is the fictional village of Ballybeg in County Donegal; a place embossed by the stifling air of conservatism.

Gar O'Donnell is about to leave Ireland for good for a new life in Philadelphia. Conflicting emotions prey on his mind, and through the presence of a Gar Public & a Gar Private (played by Ruaidhri Conroy & Marty Rea respectively) the extent of his disharmony is given full expression.

Gar's father S.B. (Walter McGonagle), the local grocer is impassive by nature, and has never had a meaningful relationship with his son, who desperately yearns for even a fleeting display of affection. All he wants is a memory to take with him to the new exciting world. This is made even more acute when S.B. cannot remember his son's recollection about a day they spent together fishing. 

Indeed memories punctuate the story throughout. His dead mother on her honeymoon used the battered suitcase, which will take his few belongings across the Atlantic. Master Boyle (John O'Toole) the local schoolteacher talks fondly of the woman.

At one time they had something going, and so Gar ponders on what might have been.  This man, who sadly now is cursed by alcohol, could have been his father. Aunt Lizzie (Stella McCusker), who has paid his ticket to Philadelphia and will offer him a home, is also full of regret. All her sisters have passed on, and because she was unable to bear children, she now attempts to fill the void.

The role of the surrogate mother down through the years fell to the housekeeper Madge (Eileen Pollack). Full of good nature, but with a steely resolve, she too is desperate for S.B to reach out and dislodge the taciturn shroud. Her other hope in life is that one of her grandnieces will be named after her. When that doesn't happen, she handles the blow with the up most resolve.

Handling the blows is all consuming throughout, most apparent when Gar foolishly asks Senator Doogan (Myles Purcell) for his daughter's hand in marriage. He was never in the reckoning, as a worthier suitor had already been lined up. Even though he felt betrayed by his darling Kate (Pauline Button) he pretended not to let it affect him.

Adrian Dunbar direction illuminates Gar's inner and outer personae with much energy, while also eschewing the turmoil he feels as his departure draws near. Marty Rea, as the more flamboyant Gar Private injects much athleticism into the part, and has a natural penchant for mimicry. Ruaidhri Conroy, despite some difficulties with the Donegal accent early on, settled into the role nicely.

Others who stood out include Stella McCusker's beat-up, worn out portrayal of Aunt Lizzie; Walter McGonagle's depiction of the uncommunicative S.B, while the brittle soul that encapsulated Madge was wonderfully captured by Eileen Pollack. In truth, the ensemble played their part in this fitting revival to a timeless text.

James McMahon