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Dublin Carol Speaks to the Human Spirit
While a transformed Mr. Scrooge is clicking his heels together in redemptive glee in Trinity Rep’s upstairs theater, a darker, less hopeful tale is being woven a floor below, as alcoholic undertaker John Plunkett struggles with his own demons in Conor McPherson’s tough but touching Dublin Carol.
If A Christmas Carol is for the child in us all, Dublin Carol is more for the hardened adult who is willing to settle for a glimmer of hope, not born-again miracles. In Dublin Carol, McPherson has exposed the pain and regret that often accompany the holidays. Don’t expect children prancing around a tree, or turkey dinner at the Cratchits’.
No, this is a harsh look at a shattered family, and a father ravaged by drink, fear and loneliness. If this doesn’t sound very rosy, that’s because it isn’t. But it is, nevertheless, a gem of a piece from one of the fine storytellers of the stage.
It’s also something of a star turn for William Petersen, the actor who for the past seven seasons has played laid-back head investigator Gil Grissom on CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Petersen, who took a break from the series to come to Trinity, is a longtime pal of artistic director Curt Columbus, who obviously realized that bringing in a big name would pay dividends at the box office. The run is sold out, although a handful of tickets are turned back each day. People can call the box office at noon to check availability.
Petersen, who in a recent interview made much of the fact that he hasn’t been on stage in eight years, looked right at home opening night, navigating a sizable role (he’s on stage for the entire 75 minutes) with seamless aplomb. It’s a terrific, well-shaded performance, a portrayal full of remorse, tinged with humor and the will to carry on.
It is Christmas Eve when we meet Plunkett in his shabby office in a Dublin funeral parlor. A few colored Christmas lights dot the wall and a tiny plastic tree sits on a table.
Plunkett, once a falling-down drunk, has been taken in and given a job by the funeral parlor’s owner, who is now in the hospital. Plunkett still keeps a bottle handy, but at least manages to hold down a job and get through the day.
The play, directed by Amy Morton from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, opens as Plunkett has just returned from a funeral with his young assistant Mark, nephew of the hospitalized funeral director. John breaks out a bottle and begins to fill in the details of his sordid past, when he was completely at the mercy of drink.
The scene then shifts, and Plunkett is confronted by his estranged grown daughter Mary, who has come to tell him that her mother, the wife Plunkett left years ago, is dying of cancer in a hospital. Plunkett should do the right thing, she says, and visit her before she dies.
He resists, but then has a rambling talk with Mary about happier times and how he always felt out of step with the world. He then agrees to meet her later, meet with his ex and perhaps set things right.
That exchange, with Rachael Warren as an intense, feisty Mary, is one of the few moments of real dialogue in this brief show, as Petersen and Warren do their appealing dance together. It’s not a big part for her, but Warren shines.
Danny Mefford, a Brown/Trinity Consortium student, fills the subtle but challenging role of Mark, who must act as the sounding board for John. He’s there to listen and do little else, and Mefford manages to make that seem quite natural.
Mark has his own story to tell, it is true. He returns in the third scene for the pay Plunkett owes him for the funeral, and tells of dumping his stewardess girlfriend. That’s when Mefford shows some emotional range and is not just a foil.
All this takes place on a vintage Eugene Lee set, filled with clutter and rich in detail. Drizzle even soaks the alleyway during the opening moments of the play.
Dublin Carol may be something of a downer, but it has its tender moments and says more than a little about the human spirit.
Dublin Carol runs through Jan. 7 at Trinity Rep, 201 Washington St., Providence. Tickets, when available, range from $20 to $60. Call (401) 351-4242 or visit
www.trinityrep.com
Well, that's how I see it.
