Thursday, March 28, 2024
 
Click HERE to sign up to receive Eye On Sun Valley's Daily News Email
 
‘Outside Mullingar’ Leaves Audiences with Irish Accented Smile
Loading
   
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
 

BY KAREN BOSSICK

It takes on all the appearances of a gloomy hardscrabble Irish tale with biting wisecracks as dry as the parched earth outside.

But “Outside Mullingar” emerges from talk of lost loves, unhappy lives and other grim subjects dear to  the Irish heart to a gentle, rounded, tenderhearted finale that puts a smile in the hearts of the audience.

Sawtooth Productions in association with Laughing Stock Theater will present John Patrick Shanley’s romantic comedy “Outside Mullingar” tonight through Sunday--April 3 through 7--at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum.

Showtimes are 7 p.m. April 3 through 7 with a 1:30 p.m. matinee on April 7. Tickets are $20, $40 and $60, available at www.theargyros.org.

This is the first staged theater play in the Argyros, which opened a few months ago on Thanksgiving Weekend.

The play revolves around Anthony Muldoon and Rosemary Reilly—two lovelorn farmers who haven’t got a clue when it comes to love.

They come together to overcome a bitter land feud, amidst family rivalries and unrequited love. Anthony chides his son Tony for never being a true man of the earth, even though his son has dutifully kept up the farm all these years.

And, since his 42-year-old son has never married, Anthony suggests he just might sell the farm to his American nephew when he dies. But there’s a catch—namely, a parcel of land that runs through the  farm that could render the sale unlikely.

And this parcel happens to belong to the next-door neighbor’s daughter-–Rosemary Reilly, who has had a grudge against Anthony’s son ever since Tony knocked her down while they were children. This is no ordinary grudge but one that has had repercussions for 30 years.

“It’s a story about community and family, which are stories that move a lot of us,” said Aly Wepplo, who plays Rosemary Reilly. “These are farmers, people who have worked hard every day of their lives. And this is a celebration of people who love the land and people who have maintained things in the family for years.”

The play contains dark humor but it’s humor that eventually turns softhearted as the audience is reminded that it’s never too late to take a chance on love.

In fact, many of those who saw the play reading a little more than a year ago at The Spot walked away commenting that it was one of the most enjoyable play readings they’d seen.

“Outside Mullingar” has been called Shanley’s finest work since “Doubt,” a play about a nun who suspects a priest of wrong doing, which won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony for Best Play. Shanley also won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “Moonstruck,” a romantic film starring Nicolas Cage and Cher.

This particular production of “Outside Mullingar” stars Andrew Alburger as the patriarch of the Muldoon family and Claudia McCain as the recently widowed matriarch of the neighboring Reillys. Aly Wepplo and David Janeski play the two grown children, joining the others in perfecting their Irish dialect under voice coach Ann Price.

It is produced by Jon Kane and directed by Paul Lazar, who founded New York’s Big Dance Theater.

“He’s a fabulous performance artist who brought fun and a new look at a beloved script,” said Wepplo. “One of the things we did was talk about finding ways to tell family members things we wouldn’t normally tell them.”

“He brought some fun new physical insights to my character,” added Janeski. “For instance, he asked to think about the energy my character internalized until I couldn’t help but let it come to the surface. And, while you may think you know what’s to come in this play, you’ll find yourself surprised.”

 

~  Today's Topics ~


Lou Whittaker Leaves Behind a Legacy of Mountaineering and Storytelling

Free Range Poetry Society to Hold Second Gathering Tonight

Easter Bunny to Begin Hopping Friday
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Website problems? Contact:
Michael Hobbs
General Manager /Webmaster
Mike@EyeOnSunValley.com
 
Got a story? Contact:
Karen Bossick
Editor in Chief
(208) 578-2111
Karen@EyeOnSunValley.com
 
 
Advertising /Marketing /Public Relations
Leisa Hollister
Chief Marketing Officer
(208) 450-9993
leisahollister@gmail.com
 
Brandi Huizar
Account Executive
(208) 329-2050
brandi@eyeonsunvalley.com
 
 
ABOUT US
EyeOnSunValley.com is the largest online daily news media service in The Wood River Valley, publishing 7 days a week. Our website publication features current news articles, feature stories, local sports articles and video content articles. The Eye On Sun Valley Show is a weekly primetime television show focusing on highlighted news stories of the week airing Monday-Sunday, COX Channel 13. See our interactive Kiosks around town throughout the Wood River Valley!
 
info@eyeonsunvalley.com      Press Releases only
 
P: 208.720.8212
P.O. Box 1453 Ketchum, ID  83340
LOGIN

© Copyright 2023 Eye on Sun Valley