Theater Review - The Seafarer

The Seafarer

Written by Conor McPherson

Directed by Ben Barnes

Where:  Thompson Theater at the Roselle Center for the Arts

(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)

When: Sunday, September 23, 2pm

Photo by Evan Krape, courtesy of the REP

The University of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players continue their success when it comes to portraying the Irish landscape with their production of Conor McPherson's The Seafarer which may very well be their best production since 2015-16's thriller Wait Until Dark.  Way back in 2012, the REP brought us McPherson's The Weir which I found fantastic and The Seafarer now proves that McPherson is a playwright I need to explore more.

McPherson drops us into the home of the Harkin brothers in Ireland on Christmas Eve -- "Sharky" (REP's Lee Ernst) has moved in to help care for his recently blinded brother Richard (REP's Stephen Pelinski).  Against his more subdued and sullen brother's wishes, the drunkenly boisterous Richard invites Nicky (REP's Michael Gotch) over for a Christmas Eve poker game.  Nicky is dating Sharky's ex-wife so their relationship is already a tenuous one and the tension is further increased when Nicky arrives with the mysterious Mr. Lockhart (REP's Mic Matarrese) whom Sharky seems to recognize, but can't quite place from where he knows him.  With Sharky's good friend Ivan (guest actor David Anthony Smith) onboard, the quintet sits down for a card game where the stakes prove to be much higher than expected thanks to the ominous presence of the darkly cryptic Mr. Lockhart.

Much like The Weir, The Seafarer is a bit deliberate in its pacing at its outset.  McPherson is slowly peeling back the layers of Sharky, a man whose past hasn't been perfect and has led him to develop some self-destructive tendencies which he's trying to curb with the help of his Catholic faith (this is an Irish play after all so religion plays a fairly major role) and his refusal to drink -- Sharky is the one member of the quintet who's been avoiding alcohol in an attempt to keep his mind clear.  However, the introduction of the devilish Mr. Lockhart into the mix unexpectedly rattles Sharky, sending him into chaos as he attempts to reconcile with his past misdeeds.  This is by far Lee Ernst's best performance in a REP production with his Sharky proving to be utterly captivating as the emotional center of the piece, allowing the audience to feel his grief about his past and his hope of creating a better name for himself.

The rest of the cast is spot-on, deftly handling McPherson's tricky balance of comedy and drama which director Ben Barnes is able to seamlessly blend.  Everything about this production feels as if it could've belonged on Broadway -- from the exquisitely designed Dublin apartment set by Todd Rosenthal (one of the best sets to grace the REP stage thus far) to the authentically "normal" costumes by Rachel Healey to the oftentimes creepy sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen -- it's all high-level stuff on display and adds to notion that The Seafarer is one of the best productions the REP has brought to us in years.  Head to the box office and get your tickets today.