By J.E.Ballantyne Jr.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – It is not often that college students get the chance to perform a true theater classic written by what you might call “one of the old masters.” But that is just what took place last night as “The Playboy of the Western World,” by J.M. Synge, opened at the Spotlight Theatre at Youngstown State University.
Written in the very early 1900s, the play takes place in a public house (pub) in County Mayo, Ireland in 1900. Partially based on a true story, the action centers around a young man named Christy Mahon who claims to be on the run after killing his father. Well, as you can see, it has all of the elements of a comedy. And believe it or not, it is.
As Pegeen, daughter of the pub owner, Michael, sits in the pub, she is joined by Shawn Keough, her fiance. He brings news that the aforementioned Christy is groaning in a ditch.
Samantha Cox plays a feisty, clever and determined Pegeen. Few men are a match for her including her intended, Shawn. Cox gives strength and a tinge of intimidation to the character as she handles the local cadre of crazy characters that wander around with “papa” Michael.
But Cox also develops the depth of the character very well. We see the softer feminine side as she and Christy become more involved as the plot moves along. And she is very adept at turning the two sides of Pegeen’s personality on and off at the drop of a hat. The Irish style of the lines and the accompanying brogue roll off her tongue very naturally, making her character very believable.
As Christy enters the scene, played by Noah Dudai, he states that he is on the run after killing his father with a loy (a spade) while they worked in a potato field. He tells his tale so well and so convincingly that he becomes a town hero. Dudai plays the character very coolly and calmly and makes it easy to see why he enchants the locals with his story. Dudai makes it easy to see why these quirky people come to idolize him.
In the scene where he describes “the deed,” that calmness and coolness melts into drama and excitement as he attempts to justify his actions. And Dudai smoothly wins over the lot. You can tell that Dudai is very comfortable with the character and that pulls the audience into his corner.
This show is rich in comedic character types. Starting with pub owner, Michael, played by Cyrus Dzikowski. With a jovial and almost back-slapping approach to the character, Dzikowski makes Michael the pub owner type but also he harnesses the fatherly type as he has complete say in who Pegeen shall marry. Dzikowski enjoys every bit of the limited time he is seen on stage.
Michael’s friends, Philly and Jimmy, played by Nicholas Figiel and Anthony Mudryk, respectively, bring a lot of physical humor to those characters in addition to the sort of bumbling style inherent in the characters. They sort of had a very distant ring to the old Bob Newhart characters of Darryl and Darryl.
Ilse Zijlstra as Widow Quin serves up a sultry and saucy character who supposedly killed her husband. Zijlstra builds the character well and illustrates the many sides of Quin. She is a shrewd manipulator who looks out for herself but she isn’t all bad. Zijlstra moves easily among the many moods of the character as she steps in to help the others to get what they want, all the while being a romantic rival to Pegeen.
Landon Eli plays Shawn Keough, Pegeen’s fiance. Eli throws himself, literally, into this character. Shawn is by far, the most physical character in the show and Eli takes great delight in making the inept Shawn one of the big comedy pieces in this production. From his first entrance, Eli makes it clear that Shawn will be a comedy centerpiece the rest of the way through.
As the plot moves along Old Mahon(Merrill Voytko) wanders on into the pub. Old Mahon is Christy’s supposedly dead father who destroys Christy’s tall tale of his father’s death. Voytko’s large frame dominates the set but his seemingly confused gentle nature makes him a lovable character. Voytko does well with the squinty-eyed look as he is in search of his son for some pay back. Although not on stage a lot, he makes the most of his time when he is there.
The characters don’t stop there. Four village girls played by Lauren Ladd, Emalee Chappa, Crystal Fisher and Natalie Ciccone steal each and every scene in which they appear. Be it from their goofy appearances at the pub window, there initial entrance at the door and through each scene they are in, these four ladies are extraordinary characters. Lauren Ladd (as Sara) in particular is great fun to watch. As in other shows in which she has appeared, her comedy timing and facial expressions are second to none.
The show is done, as alluded to before, with an Irish brogue, which adds to the authenticity of the characters. But, at times it also led to some problems. It is difficult to do dialects convincingly, especially in a university setting, so some lines were difficult to understand when you combine the dialect with the speed and diction of the actors. But with that being said, the cast did a good job overall.
Todd Dicken has put together a very enjoyable show with a first rate cast. Kudos for doing this production so people who are not familiar with it can experience it. These old gems don’t get produced much anymore. Dicken’s attention to detail and guidance of his actors was evident in the professional quality in each performance.
His set design of the pub was simple, as it should have been, and didn’t clutter the stage, leaving ample room for the action, of which there is plenty. Set decoration was appropriate with interesting pieces that set off the atmosphere.
Costumes by Katherine Garlick were true to the locale and time period and added color to the interior of the rustic looking pub. Lighting by Mallory Ehrhart was unobtrusive and added warmth.
If you have never had the opportunity to see “The Playboy of the Western World,” give it a go. It is an enjoyable evening and you are unlikely to ever see this staged anywhere else any time soon.
“The Playboy of the Western World” will continue Feb. 15, 21, 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 16, 23 at 2 p.m.
Pictured at top: Samantha Cox and Noah Dudai in University Theatre’s “The Playboy of the Western World.”