"Dancing at Lughnasa" at Yellow Tree Theatre

Irish playwright Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa is a perfectly lovely play, and a wonderful choice for the perfectly lovely Yellow Tree Theatre. The eight-person cast is actually on the large side for their cozy and intimate space nestled inside an Osseo strip mall, but the warm, humorous, and melancholic tone is a perfect fit. It's a beautiful play and a beautiful cast, and will leave you with a warm and wistful feeling.

Despite being a fan of all things Irish, I don't believe I'd ever seen a Brian Friel play, other than his adaptation of Checkhov's Uncle Vanya at the Guthrie a few years ago. In his story of the five Mundy sisters living together in a small farmhouse in County Donegal in 1936, he has captured the mix of joy, sadness, music, and family that is uniquely Irish. The sisters are a loyal and devoted family, yet are all individuals searching for something, something they never quite find. It's a bittersweet joy to watch their struggles towards a better life.

the sisters dancing

Dancing at Lughnasa is a memory play in the spirit of The Glass Menagerie. Michael, the son of youngest sister Christina, narrates the story as his adult self, while his 7-year-old 1936 self is never seen but is often talked to and about by the Mundy women, who obviously dote on the fatherless child. Or rather, the child of a father who's never around except for occasional visits, including during the events of the play. Gerry stirs up all of the women, especially Chris, with a hope that can never be fulfilled. Also throwing their world into disarray is the return of their older brother, the "leper priest" Jack, from 25 years of serving in Uganda, where he became a bit too enamored of the native ways for the Church's liking. These two events, along with developmentally disabled sister Rose's possible romance, the closing of the knitting factory where she and Agnes work, and the family's new wireless, create a moment in time that Michael remembers as one of the last happy times in the family, soon to be followed by work, sadness, and tragedy. The play is a lovely and bittersweet exploration of this family and their relationships in a changing world.

the cast of Dancing at Lughnasa

Under the direction of Jon Cranney, this wonderful cast feels like a family, with all the love, connection, and annoyance that goes along with it. Katherine Ferrand, Jessica Lind Peterson, Carolyn Trapskin, Rachel Weber, and Melanie Wehrmacher play these five very different sisters, and throughout the course of the play we get to know and love each of them, despite their shortcomings. Jason Ballweber's Michael is a warm and likeable guide through the story, Michael Lee is the charming absent father, and Patrick O'Brien is appropriately befuddled as the newly returned Father Jack. The ninth character in this play is Jeffrey Petersen's set, which somehow transforms the small thrust stage at Yellow Tree into the Mundy's entire world - the warm and rustic farmhouse and the rich green of the Irish countryside.

Dancing at Lughnasa is a great beginning for Yellow Tree Theatre's 8th season, which continues with a remount of last year's holiday hit A Hunting Shack Christmas, the smart and funny Raisin in the Sun follow-up Clybourne Park (last seen at the Guthrie), and one of my favorite musicals - Violet. It's a good time to go to Osseo!


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"Uncle Vanya" at the Guthrie Theater

Since I'm a Guthrie season subscriber (this is my 11th season), I just go when they send me, which for Uncle Vanya happened to be in its final week. There was not a big crowd on Tuesday night (I think the opening of the fantastic Tribes has overshadowed it), but those who were there seemed to enjoy it, including me. I've never seen a Chekhov play (not counting a production of The Seagull over 20 years ago of which I have zero recollection, even though it was my first ever Guthrie show), and honestly when I think Russian literature my first reaction is... ugh. But a few minutes into the show I realized Uncle Vanya is not at all intimidating or fomidable or dry; this adaptation by Irish playwright Brian Friel is a very accessible telling of a bittersweet story, a mixture of laughter and melancholy. With a charming set and the usual fantastic cast of Guthrie favorites and a few newcomers, I found it to be quite enjoyable - a bittersweet, melancholy, funny, thoughtful, and insightful play.

Set in late 19th century Russia, Uncle Vanya tells of a group of relations living on a country estate. Sonya (Emily Gunyou Halaas) and her Uncle Vanya (a charmingly befuddled Andrew Weems) work the estate that she inherited upon her mother's death years ago. Her ill and aging father Alexander (Robert Dorfman) has returned to the estate with his new young wife Elena (Valeri Mudek), and has plans of his own. Also living at the estate are Vanya's mother Maria (the legendary Melissa Hart, making the most of a small role), the nanny (Barbara Kinsley, so memorable in August: Osage County at Park Square a few years ago, here creating another distinct character), an eccentric family friend nicknamed Waffles (the always fantastic Jim Lichtsheidl), and occasionally the town doctor (John Catron, with another great drunken scene). It's a diverse group of characters who interact with each other, having conversations in small groups or alone on stage, talking directly to the audience.

Valeri Mudek, Jim Lichtsheidl, Andrew Weems,
and Emily Gunyou Halaas

Not a lot happens in the play; it's more of a study of life through these characters. The doctor is an environmentalist and talks about the destruction of the forests and the ecosystem in a way that has become scarily real in the 100+ years since the play was written. Poor Sonya is blissfully in love with the doctor but he's completely unaware of her. Everyone falls in love with the married Elena; she leaves many broken hearts in her wake but is not unsympathetic herself. Alexander mourns his exciting life as a famous professor that is now largely behind him, and Vanya struggles with the drudgery of every day life with no excitement or happiness. The play ponders such ideas as: What does it mean to be happy? Why are some people destined to live happy and full lives while others don't? Why do some women have all the men fall in love with them while others must toil away on the family farm? No clear answers, but we must endure!

The charming set was designed by Michael Hoover (who seems to be the busiest and definitely one of the best set designers in town); it looks like a life-size dollhouse. Three different rooms in the house are distinctly created in exquisite detail - the front porch, a living room, and a bedroom. Two of the sets are split in two and move in from either side to join in the middle. It's a delight to watch.

Uncle Vanya closes this weekend, so you only have a few more chances to see this lovely production of a classic. I'm looking forward to seeing the final play in the Guthrie's 2013-2014 next summer - the recent Broadway hit Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a sort of modern twist on Uncle Vanya. That's some pretty clever season programming.