A play that caused riots during its opening week in 1900s Dublin will be presented Nov. 14-21 by the West Virginia University Division of Theatre and Dance.
The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge is a comedic view of a young man running away from his farm, claiming he killed his father.
Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-15 and 18-21 in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre of the Creative Arts Center. There will also be a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Nov. 16.
The play tells the story of Christy Mahon and how he becomes a hero to a town on the west coast of Ireland after describing how he is on the run for killing his father.
Set in Michael James Flahertys public house, the locals embrace Christy because of the daring of his act. Soon after his arrival, he captures the attention of the barmaid, Pegeen Mike, daughter of Flaherty.
Christys father then arrives, bloody but unbowed, and the locals shun the young man as a liar and a coward. Mahons willingness to kill his father a second time to regain Pageens love and the townspeoples respect has the opposite effect as they refuse to approve of such a deed. Only Pegeen has some sense of the desolation that must follow in a world uninhabited by such a playboy.
“The fact that Playboy of the Western World is more than 100 years old only demonstrates that people, no matter where they are from or when they were born, haven’t really changed,” director Phillip Beck said. “I hope that the audience will see glimpses of their own foibles in the play. I think it would be wonderful if we could all laugh at ourselves at least once a day.”
The scenic structure is very textural, said set designer James Dylan Held , an associate professor of scenic design and theater history at WVU. The one-room set is a hundred-year-old tavern, inhabited with a bar, fire pit and mismatching chairs and tables.
“We tried to create the world of the playoil lamps, authentic weathered costumes, etc.,” Held said. “I hope that the audience will accept the feel of the set, and if we’ve done our job, the audience will feel like theyre part of Ireland in the 1900s.”
Faculty member Alan McEwen is lighting designer, Elisa Alexander is costume designer and Ben Jones is sound designer. Props are by graduate student April Beiswenger, prop master, and Nick Yurick, assistant prop master. Brian Dunar is the stage manager, and assistant stage managers are Kristen Balzano, Chelsea Fansler and Will Oxley.
The cast includes the following WVU theater students: Steven Bell as Christy Mahon; Laura Peters as Pegeen; Kellsye Carnill as Widow Quinn; Joshua Rocchi as Michael James; Vinnie Greco as Philly; Cory Wyszynski as Jimmy; Jeff Potts as Old Mahon; Gary Paschall as the Bellman; Sarah Roxy Hauserman as Susan; Jess Styer as Sara; and Blair Wendel as Honor.
Beck teaches acting and directing in the WVU Division of Theatre and Dance and is the director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in acting programs in the College of Creative Arts.
His directing credits include Dying City, Comic Potential, A Shayna Maidel and Good.
Tickets for The Playboy of the Western World are $15 general admission, $12 for senior citizens and WVU faculty and staff, and $10 for students with WVU ID. They may be purchased by calling 304.293.SHOW or visiting the WVU box offices at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center. They are also available through Ticketmaster outlets or by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com .
More on the Net: http://theatre.wvu.edu