THE BASICS: THE MAI, a play by Marina Carr, directed by Josephine Hogan, presented by the Irish Classical Theatre Company, starring Kate LoConti Alcocer in a cast of eight, runs only through February 5, Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30, also Saturdays at 3:00, Sundays at 2:00, 625 Main Street Buffalo NY 14203 716-853-4282 irishclassical.com
Runtime: Two hours fifteen minutes with one intermission
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: The Mai (say “May”) is an accomplished, savvy, middle-aged woman, who has been successfully navigating after her husband abandoned her and her children. But now he has returned. That might seem like a good thing, but it opens wounds and leads to revelations among four generations of women.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION:
Playwright Marina Carr is steeped in Greek myth and has long been fascinated by the homecomings of men after the Trojan War. She spoke at Canisius College last fall and read from another play about that awkward moment when Agamemnon, who had sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia in order to gain favorable winds for his fleet to set off to Troy, now returns to his wife, Clytemnestra. And was it all lollipops and roses when Odysseus returned to Penelope, especially after sleeping with Circe and then spending seven passionate years with Calypso? Carr thinks not.
Photo by Mark Duggan/Nickel City Headshots
The title character, “The Mai” (Kate Alcocer) presents as the buttoned-up “I’ve got this” woman who, as Clytemnestra and Penelope did before her, has thrived and run an efficient household after her husband Robert (Chris Avery) deserted the family. The Mai’s deep infatuation with Robert and her apparent immediate forgiveness of his transgressions upon his sudden return seemed quite authentic, but this is The Irish Classical Theatre folks, not The Hallmark Channel. Soon enough The Mai tells her sister “You don’t know what it’s like, the humiliation of it. The ground is gone from under me. I’m forty years of age, Connie, I’m on the downward slope.”
We are distracted from these thoughts, however, by the comings and goings of a variety of relatives, and what a noisy group they are! They include The Mai’s two sisters – Cassie Cameron as the “problem child” Beck and Megan Callahan as the more even-keeled Connie. Then, for comic relief, there are The Mai’s two opinionated aunts – Mary Moebius as Julie and Lisa Ludwig as Agnes; reminding me of the hyper-critical aunts in the Geico commercial. Moebius and Ludwig are a hoot. But some great comic lines go to Grandma Fraochlán played here by Pamela Rose Mangus who has portrayed “tough broad” comic roles many times in the past. Grandma enjoys her mulberry wine and her pipe and often drifts off to speak with ghosts, including the Sultan of Spain. “Now Sultan! You give me one good reason why women can’t own harems full of men when it is quite obvious that men owns harems full of women! G’wan! I’m listenin’!”
In the role of the returning Odysseus, we have Chris Avery as the wandering cellist/husband Robert who has returned after five years. The acting was excellent and so it was particularly delicious at the final curtain when there were loud “boos” from the audience, not for the actor of course, but for the character. It’s always fun when the audience is fully engaged like that.
Photo by Mark Duggan/Nickel City Headshots
Speaking of actors, when you go this final weekend keep your eyes on Christine Turturro as the Mai’s daughter Millie who is constantly on stage, sometimes acting in the present time, but also providing narration of the past, most poignantly when she was 16 and her father left. We have been following Turturro’s career since she was at Niagara University and she has wowed audiences and critics in roles at Road Less Traveled Productions (Artie nominated), Shakespeare in Delaware Park, The Alleyway Theatre, and previously at Irish Classical.
Each of those actors listed has graced a number of stages here in Western New York and it was a great joy to see them all work together so seamlessly in this ensemble play. The direction by ICTC co-founder Josephine Hogan was solid and consistent and very much believable. She also made the play softer and gentler and more of the “lilting” Irish than how it seemed to me reading the published script, where it came across as more of the finger-in-your-eye Irish. I don’t know how she accomplished that trick but I appreciated it immensely.
Kudos to Production Stage Manager Leyla Gentil and her assistant Ryan Wilke because there are a lot, and I mean a lot of cues. The Sound Design by Tom Makar matched the mood set by Director Hogan to a tee, avoiding the stereotypical Irish music we get at St. Patrick’s Day and instead discovering music that enhanced the performances. Also a quick shout-out to Dialect and Speech Coach Megan Callahan who was able to get some very consistent performances. Much appreciated.
For an interview with Marina Carr, click here.
Rating: Four Buffalos
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!
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