Shining City
Much is said, but not much actually happens in the Los Angeles premiere of Conor McPherson’s emotionally evocative Tony nominated new play at The Fountain Theatre. Unlike its ambiguous title, the play could just as easily be called “Talking Heads” as there are no more than two people in every scene, and very little of Stephen King’s “The Shining” spooky terror. Most of the confessional dialogue takes place from on the couch therapy sessions with a former priest wrestling with his personal demons. The long-winded, stuttering monologues, rich in their realism, tend to ramble on and become far too tedious for even McPherson’s subtly engrossing power to overcome.
Written as a modern day ghost story, McPherson draws from his previous success with the supernatural in his Broadway hit, “The Weir” by forcibly injecting one here. A guilt-ridden widow, John (Morlan Higgins), ably exorcises the ghost of his recently deceased wife by venting his marital frustrations and mid-life crises to his newly appointed therapist, Ian (William Dennis Hurley). As the play progresses, the ghost inevitably comes to symbolize the all-too human frailties of regret and longing which is the main thrust of the show and works well to create a somber mood. But like Chekhov’s gun, there’s no point in having a ghost around if it’s not going to appear, even if it marks its entrance as a dues ex machina. Either way, the ghost is a problematic literary device, a trap McPherson falls into that is both predictable and unnecessary given the deeper psychological issues that are more relatable and thought provoking.
All this being said, the finely wrought anxiety and despair of these lost souls trying to connect, if only on a visceral level, is harrowing and cathartic. In the urban inner city of Dublin, every man is an island, searching for something or someone to save him. The shattering dialogue reveals the subtext of misery between the pregnant pauses, the unfinished thoughts, and the ellipses of speech. These awkward moments are both sublime and luminous.
But in trying to convey loneliness and fleeting intimacy, McPherson obliterates the plausible by heaping layer upon layer of complexity to his main character, Ian. A former priest, now turned armchair psychologist is a fair but reasonable leap. From there, Ian’s character digresses in an anti-climatic emotional showdown with Nessa (Kerrie Blaisdell) his distraught girlfriend and mother of his assumed child who he callously begs off. Add homoerotic underpinnings with a homeless hustler (Benjamin Keepers) and it’s difficult to grasp who this character is, much less care what happens to him. No one really knows who Ian is, much less Ian himself, and while that may be Mc Pherson’s intention and aim, it misses the mark.
For all of its inherent shortcomings, “Shining City” is a shining example of The Fountain Theatre’s extraordinary talents and original staging to rival this play’s West End and Broadway productions. The infallible Stephen Sachs gently sets a solid pace, permitting McPherson’s carefully contrived pauses for dramatic effect, but not to the point of trying one’s patience considering there isn’t an intermission. Morlan Higgins is pitifully sympathetic and William Dennis Hurley gives an electric performance as a nervously high-strung healer desperately trying to heal his own wounds. The cast does an admirable job with the authentic musicality of McPherson’s fragmentary exchanges, even if their accents tend to get a little wooly.
A homey set design by Shaun L. Motley combines the right balance of shabby chic against a brilliantly telling backdrop of two pairs of gothic style windows, with one set bricked in while the other lets in the light. Ken Booth illuminates every show at The Fountain with meaning and inventive mastery, offering a lovely light show during the transitions and giving the stage a warm, comfortable glow that is a trademark of his skill.
Much has been said of Conor McPherson’s latest work, which has enjoyed rave reviews while others have been less enchanted with this darkly moody drama. It is a polarizing play, either you’ll love it or hate it, but it does stir an emotion either way, which has at least that going for it. In terms of entertainment, it is too riveting to watch casually, and McPherson does require his audiences to think their way through, even long after the show is over, and that’s what makes this a truly modern day ghost story.
Runs through Dec 19
Thurs, Fri, & Sat at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
The Fountain Theatre
5060 Fountain Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(Fountain at Normandie)
PH: 323-663-1525
www.FountainTheatre.com