The Cripple of Inishmaan
The Cripple of Inishmaan
By Martin McDonagh
Directed by John DiDonna
Starring Sam Corrie, Tommy Liles, and Janine Papin
Valencia State College, Orlando FL</strong>
As I sat down to watch this oddly titled little drama, a British friend sat next to me and worried: “I hope they get the accents right.” Afterwards she assured me they were fine, and that only adds to the evening’s enjoyment. Out on one of the rocky islands east of Ireland starves a small, tight knit community: Eileen (Papin) and Kate (Amy Cuccaro) run what passes for a store; it’s the social center of the place and filled to the rafters with canned peas. They care for Cripple Billy (Corrie), he’s been written off by everyone and no one expects him to get a job, kiss a girl or do anything other than take up space until he dies. Like all good Irish stories this island is full of characters: there’s Anger Issue Helen (Justine Rodriquez Gearing) whose main skill is throwing eggs at people she doesn’t like, there’s Johnny Pateen Mike (Liles) who collects and spreads gossip and demands payment for his earth shattering news stories about geese biting cats, and there’s BabbyBobby (John Michael McDonald) owns the boat (there’s only ONE on the island?) who is willing to row Helen over to where the Americans are making a movie. The movie is Billy’s chance to get out but he finds America only adds another entry to his failure list: He can’t act, either. At least he got enough money for a return trip.
There’s dark history on this island, and not everything Billy knows or thinks he knows is true. While he’s figuring it out we are entertained by his fellow castaways. Liles’ Johnny Pateen is the center of attention; he’s tall, wears a bowler, and fully believes in the importance of his own blarney. Helen is the fireball, she’s got the looks and is the only slut available on Inishmaan, and she can trade that for whatever she wants until she begins to sag. The comic relief comes from Phillip Edwards as her little brother Bartley, he obsesses over candy bars and doesn’t just get egg in his face, it’s all in his hair. The calm center of all this energy rests with Ms. Papin and Ms. Cuccaro, they are loving and accepting and even if they talk to stones, it’s nothing serious. This being Ireland, we need an alcoholic and that’s Johnny Pateen’s mother (Kathleen Lindsay-Moulds). She’s not only feisty, but her wooden leg has a wooden leg and Johnny Pateen complains “I’ve spent a fortune on booze and she still hasn’t died yet.” I’m not getting the accent right, of course, that’s up to the cast. But it takes Mr. Corrie to hold all this together, not only is his limp and his stammer realistic, but his pathology of a cough turning into something much worse added shades of misery to his life. He’s a hopeful child, but as we who sit tin the seat know, writers are here to turn simple misery into major disaster. Ireland must be a pretty good place, look at all the plays they set there.
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