Reviewed
by Will Stackman
A
midlife crisis has never been so hilarious, or as profound, as in Marie
Jones'
long-running "A Night in November," with award-winning actor Marty Maguire as the storyteller. The mystical
art of the shannachie is alive and bouncing off the walls at Jimmy Tingle's
Off-Broadway in Davis Square, Somerville through Thanksgiving. In a masterful
performance, Maguire brings Kenneth Norman McAllister, a Belfast Protestant,
and some forty of his countrymen--and women--to uproarious life. The actor began
doing this piece in 2002 in L.A. to sold-out audiences, took it to Edinburgh
the same year where it won awards, to London and Dublin with equal success, and
back to L.A. where it won 2 Ovation Awards in 2005. He had a few movie roles
mixed in. Maguire began his professional career in a play by Jones in 1988.
This monodrama might well have been written with him in mind. He recently took
the lead in Jones' latest play, "The Blind Fiddler" at the Edinburgh
Festival as well as the lead in "The Field" at the Irish Rep. in NYC.
Strangely, this yarn hasn't made its mark on the Big Apple, but give it time. (Webmaster’s
note: Actually, it has, just not as a huge commercial hit. In the late 90s
it debuted at the Irish Arts Center, starring Dan Gordon. It reopened
off-Broadway for an open-ended run that lasted several months. Last season the
Irish Arts Center brought it back in the production reviewed here, starring
Marty Maguire and directed by Tim Byron Owens. I reviewed it all three times.)
Jones,
whose "Stones in His Pockets" was an instant classic, starts her tale
on "A Night in November", once upon a time, when Kenneth begins to
realize how hollow his lower-middle class existence as a dole-clerk has become,
when he takes his wife's nicotine-fiend father to a crucial soccer match
between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and is ashamed at how completely
prejudiced the old hooligan is. His frustration mounts with his wife, his job,
his social friends and the dismal political stalemate under which he lives. The
comic absurdity of it all becomes maddening. There's no way out. But of course
there is. Jones sends him on an impulse off to New York in April to be close to
the World Cup competition. The result is even more hilarious and ultimately
uplifting. Like any good fable there's a chance McAllister might just live
happier when he goes back to Belfast.
This
energetic one-man show is perfectly suited for JTOB, a small shallow
three-quarter basement venue set up cabaret style for this run. The only set is
a stack of boxes, red white and blue at first, representing McAllister's
Unionist background. A suit coat, a red cardigan, and a football supporters
T-shirt are Maguire's sole costume changes/props. The backdrop is an
out-of-focus mural of soccer fans in the stands. Minimal light effects help
change the scene, particularly for our man's inner monologues. Director Tim
Byron Owens has
modulated Maguire's performance through all this little man's frustrations and
comic despair.
Many
impressive shows from the contemporary Irish theatre have been seen in Boston,
including "By the Bog of Cats" currently running at the Devanaughn.
This comic jewel, settled in for a decent run, is up with the best of them.
Davis Square in Somerville, with a stop on the MBTA Red Line has become lively
nighttime destination, and JTOB has set up several dinner and show packages.
Tingle, a nationally know comic, whose family home is just a few blocks away in
Cambridge, keeps the place well-booked with his own shows, fellow Boston
stand-up favorites, representatives of New England's still lively folk scene,
and the odd children's show. This show starts at 7:30 nightly to accommodate
late night comedy shows and adjacent nightlife and runs through Thanksgiving.