Marc Miller takes a look at The Beacon at Irish Repertory Theatre:
It's Irish Rep, and there's a squabbling mother and her adult son onstage, so we know this isn't going to end well. My first thought of The Beacon, Nancy Harris's new play, was, this reminds me of The Saviour. That, you remember, was Deirdre Kinahan's Irish Rep excursion from last season, wherein a gruff Marie Mullen and her disappointing offspring, James O'Neill, hashed it out at high decibels. This time it's Kate Mulgrew, as Beiv, a moderately famous Irish artist turning out oils and sculptures on a rural island off West Cork, and Colm (Zach Appelman), her successful techie son with whom she shares a complicated history and a mutual antagonism. Fortunately there are other characters, too. But the crux of The Beacon is, as it was with The Saviour, will these two ever share a moment's peace. The Saviour answered that in 70 minutes. This one's two and a half hours. |
