A play perhaps not in its right mind

Nothing is conventional in The Cripple of Inishmaan, not even the notion of a happy ending.

By PETER SMITH

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2000

When faced with a great storyteller, it's important to know where he or she is coming from. In The Cripple of Inishmaan, currently appearing at Tampa's Stageworks, that information is denied us, it seems, and it is only when you realize who tells the tale that it begins to make sense.

This review will reveal who seems to be talking, because without this knowledge, everyone in the play seems to be, at best, a waste, and at worst, mean.

The story takes place in 1934 on the small island of Inishmaan, off the coast of Ireland. Life there is hard, and that anyone bothers to live like this seems to indicate a certain amount of insanity, which could also be the reason these people are presented the way they are.

Aunt Eileen and Aunt Kate are taking care of a young man known as Cripple Billy, who, while a little bent physically, seems to be the only straight thinker on the island. He is played without a second's loss of dignity by Matthew Rudell. Lisbie Ray plays Eileen, who thinks she is the only sane person around, while Cynthia Totten plays Kate, who knows she's loopy and prefers it that way.

The word is that on the mainland, Robert Flaherty (best known for the documentary Nanook of the North) is making a movie about the islands off Ireland and their inhabitants. Various townspeople are determined to be a part of this film and travel to the mainland to do so.

As the play wears on, various other characters are introduced and given their moments to be nuts. Johnnypateenmike, the town gossip, who chooses to think of himself as a newsman; Bartley, and his sister Slippy Helen, who would like to be the town slut but apparently suffers from too much competition.

Slippy Helen and Cripple Billy may end up together, which couldn't be a worse idea (one of them has a highly contagious disease). Yet, this is presented as a happy ending, as it could only be by another crazy person, which leads one to the conclusion that this is a story being told by Johnnypateenmike. Why? Well, he's the storyteller in the play, and the tale makes him look like a hero in the end, which isn't indicated by anything else in the story.

Johnnypateenmike, played by Richard Coppinger, suffers (as does the cast as a whole) from an occasional Lucky Charms accent but nonetheless holds your attention as if he were armed.

Anna Brennen's direction keeps the audience's focus even when things make no sense. Her use of light is one of her finest attributes, giving a simple stage set depth.

While there is nothing wrong with not having everything laid in the audience's lap, the sense of unhinged behavior here can be a little off-putting. There can be no question about the quality of the performances here, but either the play is incredibly subtle in its design or we're all nuts, and only playwright Martin McDonagh and Brennen realize it.

If you love challenging theater, this might just be the thing for you.

At a glance: The Cripple of Inishmaan continues weekends through May 21 at Stageworks at Hillsborough Community College Theater, Palm Avenue and 15th Street, Ybor City. Curtain: 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Tickets: $14, $12 students and seniors. (813) 258-6757.

Back to Tampabay.com

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

---