The Playboy of the Western World
Here’s a quirky comedy about a stranger who wanders into a wee Irish village and declares he’s just killed his father. Peculiarly, his declaration makes him a folk hero to the men and a heartthrob to the women. This City Theatre production has so much going for it: inventive direction by Kim McCann; an imaginative cutaway set of an Irish pub; and likable performances from a mostly young cast, including a strong presence by Kira Graybill as the fiery Pegeen. So, if everything’s working, why not a better rating? Because you can’t understand half of what’s being said. Between the heavy, fluctuating Irish accents and the slurring dialogue of the drunken characters, the beautiful language of playwright John Millington Synge is next to incomprehensible. All is not lost, however. There’s still time to tone down the brogues and drunken mumbling because underneath lies a laudable production.
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