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‘Shining City’ shines at Oakland
By Lorraine Wardle
Youngstown
The Oakland Center for the Arts premiered “Shining City” by Conor McPherson on Friday night, marking the area debut of the Tony-nominated play.
McPherson’s play is a dialogue driven-drama set in Dublin, Ireland, centering on Ian, a former priest and new therapist.
“Shining City” takes place in Ian’s office. His first patient is John, a grieving widower. John’s wife died suddenly in a car crash, and John believes that she is haunting him. Through his therapy sessions with Ian, John shares his feelings of guilt over his past and his struggles with the loss of his wife.
John’s experiences with the ghost of his dead wife are echoed in Ian’s encounters with the play’s two other characters. Ian and his girlfriend, Neasa, argue about their strained relationship. Later, Ian tries to connect with Laurence, a struggling young father.
The dialogue-heavy play is carried by its committed cast. Director Tom Smith has assembled an excellent cast, each actor fitting their part perfectly. The cast was clearly dedicated and gave heart-felt and emotional performances.
Since the play is set in Ireland, the cast spoke with Irish accents, which can be tricky. Too much accent and the audience can’t understand what the characters are saying. Too little accent makes the performance seem fake. Thankfully, Smith and his cast found a middle ground with accents that are both understated and believable.
Charles Kettering is a natural actor. His Ian was a perfect therapist, reacting with typical “mm-hm”s to his patient’s admissions. Kettering’s Ian was also a tortured soul, perhaps in need of his own therapist. He played the role with obvious angst and deep emotion.
Oakland newcomer Christopher Haddock played John with sensitivity as he explored his varied emotions. Haddock clearly grew into his character throughout the performance, becoming more realistic as the play went on. His Act Two monologue was particularly touching and gave great depth to his character.
Brittiani McNeil Ketcham played Ian’s girlfriend, Neasa, with lots of emotion. Her purpose in the play seemed to be to cause Ian stress, and in that she succeeded. Though her accent left something to be desired, Ketcham clearly gave her all in this performance.
Kage Jonas Coven left a big impression with his small role as Laurence. Coven’s performance was genuine and sincere, playing Laurence as both sweet and street-wise, rough and understanding.
The play’s unit set was appropriately drab, but lighting was somewhat dark, making it difficult to see the actors’ faces. Though the stage was often dim, the performances in “Shining City” shined through.
“Shining City” continues at the Oakland on Friday and Saturday and Feb. 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. For reservations, call 330-746-0404.