The Catskill Chronicle

Review by Sharlene Hartman, Contributed photos by Paul Cowell

ELLENVILLE, NY (June 8, 2011) – I must confess I’m more than a little ashamed. From the moment I entered the lovely Deco interior of the Shadowland Theatre in Ellenville, until the moment I left, I thought to myself “shame on you, whatever took you so long to get here!!”

I went to see their current production of The Seafarer, and if this is an example of the quality of work being done at Shadowland perhaps Brendan Burke, the Artistic Director, should be running a much larger house. But on second thought, there might be tremendous pressure to get high profile actors. The popularity factor of certain celebrities might trump that of actors that are truly perfect for the play … so perhaps best to leave things just as they are.

The Seafarer, by Irish playwright Conor McPherson, is a 2008 Tony-nominated play. It had opened in London with an all Irish cast in 2006. And although I tried not to read too much about the play prior to going, curiosity did get the better of me. So when I saw a few comments, making comparisons to Samuel Beckett, I thought “oh dear, I’m in for an evening of heavy theatre.”

I could not have been more surprised. The opening scene has an inebriated Richard (delightfully played by Steve Brady) popping up from the cluttered floor, full of personality, discussing his terrible case of dysentery. Meanwhile his attentive, sarcastic, younger brother Sharkey (Bernard Burak Sheredy), who’s recently gone on the wagon, scrambles to make him feel better but really wants him to have a bath. However, Richard fights the notion of getting cleaned up before Christmas because it will “only stink the house up.” He then runs to the bathroom announcing they are “out of toilet paper.” Sharkey, not finding any, brings paper towels. Meanwhile another poor bloke stumbles down the stairs. It’s Ivan (played with delicious detail by Mark McCarty) on the verge of getting ill, plus he can’t find his glasses or his car. Oh, I didn’t tell you, Richard is also recently blind, having had an accident on Halloween. What a way to start Christmas Eve day!

I love a good farce and the fast-paced action of the opening scenes satisfied my craving. Conor McPherson’s dialogue is rich, filled with color and he certainly has mastered a “turn of phrase” and the “one liner.” It’s some of the funniest writing I’ve heard, yet ever so real. The script isn’t predictable and it avoids using many clichés that would be so tempting to access. Many times I anticipated what sentence or symbolism was coming next and more often than not I was wrong. It kept me on my toes. There is also a beautiful rhythm to the dialogue and I understood every word. So don’t be afraid of a heavy Irish brogue, the accent is there but very understandable. And for the few slang words you might want to clarify there is a short glossary in the program.

We discover that Richard has invited his friend Nicky (David Mason) over, someone that Sharkey has little regard for. But Richard insists that things “will get nice and Christmassy.” Little does he realize how ironic this statement is.

The tone of the play changes ever so slightly when Nicky enters. Nicky with his goofy, slick operator persona, wearing his “Ver-sace” (“sace” rhyming with “ace”) jacket fits right in. However, he has brought along his friend, Mr. Lockhart (Joel Leffert), who not only wears well tailored clothes and a fedora but has a completely different demeanor than the others. The very fact that Mr. Lockhart is the only character addressed by his surname, has a certain foreboding to it. We hear the wind blowing. Now all the players are here so let the games begin.

They start to play a game of poker but there’s really a predatory game of cat and mouse, between Sharkey and Lockhart, going on. And although parts of these scenes dwell on serious topics there is always comedic intervention, behavior and dialogue by the others. It’s a well orchestrated joisting match of sorts, interrupted by the jesters that have no idea what they are interrupting.

The play is beautifully directed by Brendan Burke, Shadowland’s Artistic Director. There is so much attention to detail as small actions back up much of what has been said. There are little “bits” that are very visual and make you giggle. And although the play takes place in the fabulously disheveled living room totally void of a “woman’s touch” (kudos to Scenic Designer Drew Francis), the action is a joy to watch. The use of music along with great sound effects (by Jeff Knapp) completes the sensory feast.

The acting is superb. I really couldn’t imagine a better cast. Steve Brady as “blind” Richard is wonderful; his character is the glue of the play, forever espousing philosophical advice followed by a comedic zinger. Bernard Burak Sheredy as Sharkey is the constantly believable straight man of the group, MarkMcCarthy as Ivan has really created such a delicious character whose body language is filled with energy without being frantic. David Mason has made Nicky an interesting, quirky, off beat fellow and Joel Leffert plays Mr. Lockhart elegantly, with a sinister charm.

I didn’t feel like this was a play being interpreted by actors and a director. I felt I was looking through a virtual window, into a living room, watching this fascinating slice of life take place.

Richard says a line at the end of the play, that is a backhanded statement of hope to his brother Sharkey, and tears welled up in my eyes. I’d now gotten everything from this play; belly laughs, thought provoking philosophical dialogue often delivered cleverly with a wink and a nod, a battle of good versus evil and now an unexpected touching moment. But words affect everyone differently and that’s what’s so wonderful about live theatre.

David & Barbara Vazquez, have placed an ad in the program that says: “Thank-you for that ‘Broadway’ experience season after season!” Never truer words were spoken. I can’t wait to see another production!

The Seafarer runs through June 19. Curtain times are 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a ticket price of $30.00. Sunday the show starts at 2:00 p.m. with tickets costing $25.00. Senior and student discount is $2.00. Box office: 845-647-5511. The Shadowland Theatre is at 157 Canal Street, Ellenville. Visit their website at www.shadowlandtheatre.org.