Playboy at the Players

Mary and I just barely got tickets to a production of J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World at du Players. Some of you may be thinking, "Didn't she just go see a different production?" And that is true. On 12 December 2006 I went to the preview for the Pan Pan Playboy with a cast from Beijing. One of the ways I develop a better understanding of theatre production is to see multiple productions of the same play. And, surprisingly, I had never seen a performance of the show before I came to Ireland, although I had read it a couple times.

Overall it was a good production. There were some very strong moments and some interesting choices in staging the porter house (the home that serves alcohol where the play is set). One thing that was incredibly distracting was the fact that all the women looked disheveled. Their hair ranged from Pegeen Mike's stylishly ratted hair to one of the girls from the town who had a leaf in her hair. The three girls from town all had dirt on their faces and looked, to use a US reference, like Lil' Abner characters. This wouldn't have been distracting except that the men were all clean (except Old Mahon, of course) and with well-coiffed hair. I somehow find it difficult to imagine that the women decided to rough it up on their own. The consistency made it appear to be a deliberate production choice. And I have not reconciled it yet.

I hope I get to see a third production before I go. Especially because the 100 year anniversary of the original production and the Playboy Riots occurred. (There are many who argue that it was an organized protest that was skewed in the coverage and accounts to make it seem like a random, violent, mob action.) So really, I would like to watch the Druid Theatre 2005 production that will be aired on RTE, but I would also like to see one more live stage production. After that, I may shift my emphasis to seeing a breadth of performances.