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NY Theater: Eugene O'Neill's "A Touch of the Poet" ponders failed dreamsGem of a play plumbs divides between rich and poor, men and womenBy Lucy KomisarEugene O'Neill's "A Touch of the Poet" is a sensitive musing on two of the essential political divides: class and gender. Set in Boston, 1828, the protagonists are an Irish immigrant, whose sense of self is built on the delusion that he is a gentleman, and his daughter, who sees marriage to a rich man as the only way to a decent life. His wife/her mother, of peasant stock and with a thick brogue that locates her in the old country, appears to accept the subservience of both her class and sex. Immigrant Cornelius Melody (Gabriel Byrne) had a moment of glory when, as a major in the King's army, he was decorated for bravery by the Duke of Wellington. Now, he's just a pub keeper in Boston, following his father who did the same work in Ireland.
But the play is also about love and self-discovery. How can you explain the love of wife Nora (Dearbhla Molloy) for this man, who insults her: "Do you wash your hair?" he asks. "It sinks of stew and onions." While she scrubs the floor, he busies himself with the thoroughbred mare which they cannot afford. We must believe in the magical mystery of love, since we can't see why she has put up with him for so long. That segues into the fact that women then had few options; they had to make their bargains through their choice of men, as daughter Sara (Emily Bergl) shows. Sara is passionate, smart, clearheaded. She insults Corn's selfishness, has contempt for him. She complains about slaving as waitress and chamber maid so her father can get drunk every night as a gentleman. She wants her own life. And she sees that happening through marrying a rich man.
But for all the criticism one ought to heap on Corn, we feel the sympathy of writer O'Neill and director Doug Hughes for him as well as for the women, all stuck in a system where power and status went to rich men. Gabriel Byrne sensitively portrays a Cornelius Melody who is self-centered, exaggerated about his own importance, dismissive of others, yet someone who knows his dreams have been dashed. Now, we can see why his wife was charmed by this cynical, fraudulent drunk. Dearbhla Molloy brings to Nora, the long suffering wife, besides a delectable Irish brogue, the hint of the love gleam in her eye that blocks out Corn's faults.
Byron Jennings gives a delightful supporting performance as a soldier buddy who will do or say anything to cage a drink. Hughes expertly creates the mood of failed dreams and desperate hopes in this gem of a play. "A Touch of the Poet." Written by Eugene O'Neill. Directed by Doug Hughes. Starring Gabriel Byrne, Dearbhla Molloy, Emily Bergl, John Horton, Byron Jennings, Kathryn Meisle, Randall Newsome, Ciaran O'Reilly, Daniel Stewart Sherman. Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54, 254 West 54th St. Tue-Sat 8pm; Wed, Sat & Sun 2pm. Through Jan. 29, 2006. $26.25-$86.25. 212-719-1300. http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/. by Jean-Marie Guyaux. |
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But inside the tavern with its stone walls and fireplace,
wood beams, wood tables and ladder back chairs (set by Santo Loquasto), Corn
lives in a fantasy that persuades him that he is better than his wife and
daughter, who he turns into his servants and the workers of his pub. He wears a
gentleman's coat and high black boots and quotes Byron. Every year he dons his
old uniform of red coat with gold epaulets to celebrate the anniversary of his
glory at the battle of Calavera.
Taking on the political cover of those he would emulate,
Corn is hostile to Andrew Jackson, the president of the working man. He feels
himself superior to the workers who patronize the pub.
The conflict between father and daughter might have been
influenced by O'Neill's own relationship with his daughter. He was so furious
about Oona O'Neill's marriage to Charlie Chaplin, that he never spoke to her
again.
Emily Bergl combines the toughness and uncertainty that
would have been part of a woman challenging and accommodating in a time of
Jacksonian democracy, a period that raised questions about class but not gender
(or, of course, race).
