I went to "Dancing at Lughnasa" expecting something saccharine, something a bit melodramatic and ÷ honestly ÷ something a lonely old maid would watch on Lifetime Television while eating yogurt and snuggling her cat or man doll.
Well, I happily admit, I was mostly wrong. The story wasn't saccharine, and the drama was subtle. The thing is, I still think that same lonely lady is probably close to what the target audience would be for "Dancing."
In a style similar to "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Steel Magnolias," "Dancing" offers a bittersweet glimpse into the joys and miseries that are life ÷ predominantly through a cast of strong female leads. Set in Ireland in 1936, with affected accents to match (and they sounded fine to me), "Dancing" relates a month in the country home of five sisters and the men they love. Some cigarette smoking and dancing (although not a lot of dancing) ensue.
In fact, if you've got a wee tickle in your throat, bring cough drops. Mine saved me from an embarrassing fit of hacks during a particularly smoky scene.
Arizona Repertory Theatre has assembled a stellar cast. Spencer Dooley, a theatre production senior, is superb playing the dual roles of Michael, the adult narrator of the story, and Michael, the same character as a young boy living with his mother and aunts. That may sound simplistic, but somehow in the act of removing his glasses and just sitting down, Dooley is able to transform ÷ allowing narrator Michael to apparently relive his childhood memories.
Theatre production senoir Carley Preston, as the outlandish and fun-loving Maggie, is also a treat. Preston sings, really loudly, a cappella ÷ which maybe she shouldn't do in her personal life, but as Maggie, it is fun and wonderful. She also flashes her bloomers, cracks jokes and dances ÷ bringing a little sunshine into the bleak lives of the family and delighting the audience.
Members of the small cast all add their own important element to the overall bleakness and hope in "Dancing."
The play is not romantic; it is instead realistic, dealing more with family and self than with sex, lust or romantic love. Passion is replaced here with yearning, and each character copes with a desire to break free somehow. Dancing becomes an outlet for the women ÷ allowing them to enjoy life.
"Dancing At Lughnasa" is probably a play best enjoyed in the company of women. Not that the beauty and charm of the story would be lost on men, but it's pretty much a "girl play" in the same way that "Torque" was pretty much a guy movie. Ladies, go in a group; take your mom.
Gentlemen, go with a date; take your mom or your lonely Aunt Agnes.
"Dancing At Lughnasa" is playing evenings, with weekend matinees, through Feb. 29 at UA's Laboratory Theatre in the Fine Arts Complex. Tickets are $15 for students, $22 to the general public. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Box Office at 621-1162.