The Cripple of Inishmaan
by Martin McDonagh
directed by Garry Hynes
Kirk Douglas Theatre
through May 1
As I watched Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan, some painful recollections surfaced from my childhood about Ireland and its people. My mother was second generation Irish, her parents Irish immigrants who declared quite emphatically that they were happy in America and never wanted to return to their homeland, even for a visit. My mother relayed this information to me with tears in her eyes as she recalled how her mother, my maternal grandmother, would never care to endure again her harsh existence in turn of the century Ireland. The characters in McDonagh's play, circa 1934, are desperately lonely creatures, forced to take it out on those closest to them for want and need of a better way of life. Now at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. the Druid and Atlantic Theatre Company return to LA on tour in their rightfully acclaimed production of ...Inishmaan.
Another thought that I could not help but entertain is the Irish sense of humor, so replete with repetitions and flat-out sarcasm. When an Irishman says what's on his mind, I doubt if he finds it funny. If you did and laughed, you'd better watch out, for you might get hit with a brick over the head or hear a biting insult about just how plain ugly or stupid you are! But, underneath that sarcasm, believe it or not, beats a heart of gold. An Irishman is not known for that twinkle in the eye for naught! Inishmaan, like many parts of Ireland, is isolated, cut off from the world; there's a great need for attention, and with little contact, much of the communication comes via exaggerated stories and gossip about townsfolk, animals or about that little man with the funny mustache who was such a rage in Germany in '34. What else was there to do but work and pass the time by telling stories...or stare at cows? People like Johnny Pateen Mike (Dermot Crowley) (photo above), who called themselves newsmen, would circulate and trade gossip for eggs or canned goods at the corner store, this one owned and operated by sisters Kate (Ingrid Craigie) and Eileen (Dearbhla Molloy) whose nephew Billy Claven (Tadhg Murphy) is Cripple Billy of the play's title. One story follows another and they do not add up. Which is a lie and which the truth is any man's guess. As a matter of fact, we do not learn the truth about Billy's dead parents - the circumstances surrounding the deaths and how he was provided for - until the very end. If in fact, that is the truth(?) Along the way the stories entertain and sometimes sadden depending upon the rage and spite of the characters telling them. There's a little of both in Mammy O'Dougal's case (Nancy E. Carroll). Mammy, Johnny Pateen's drunken mother, confesses with cocky pride the amount of her daily liquid regimen to Doctor McSharry (Paul Vincent O'Connor), a fact that is simultaneously funny and pathetic.
As to the main plot, Babby Bobby (Liam Carney) who owns a boat, offers to take holy terror Slippy Helen (Clare Dunne) and her friend whiney Bartley (Laurence Kinlan) over to Inishmore to watch a Hollywood movie company making a film. "Everyone wants to come to Ireland, 'cause the people are so friendly" becomes one of Johnny Pateen's funniest appraisals. Cripple Billy, secretly enamored of Helen, will do just about anything to stave off boredom and go to Inishmore, so he tells Babby Bobby a sob story, which gets him in hot water later on. As it turns out, Bobby buys into the story and Billy goes with them and on Inishmore is chosen to go to Hollywood for a screen test to possibly play a cripple in an upcoming movie there. He leaves his aunties without a word for four months. When he returns dejected and seriously ill, his confessed affection for Helen is acknowledged, but at that juncture fate doles out a melancholy hand to Billy.
This is a deeply tragic tale with acts of violence and harsh rude behavior amongst friends and relatives that is made digestible because it is heartily sprinkled with the indomitable humor of the Irish, who have always kept their heads above water no matter how rough the waves. McDoangh's writing is so infectious and absorbing because it has the true flavor of these stalwart Irish, who can take the most deadly serious fact and make a joke out of it ... and in this production, they are played by a troupe of magnificent Irish actors - the real thing - all of whom give stellar performances. Bravo to them one and all; they will touch you, make you laugh, cry and pull at your heartstrings. Kudos again to McDonagh and to Garry Hynes for her fantastic direction! Set design and costumes by Francis O'Connor. and lighting design by Davy Cunningham are simply outstanding.
If it's sweeties you're cravin', go treat yourselves to The Cripple of Inishmaan for a brief immersion into some past Irish culture. But stand warned: the humor is so genuinely Irish, so authentically blunt and real, so heartwarmingly human!
