Review by Neal Newman
February 19, 2024
When you enter the Hedgerow Theatre, you see the set designed by Marie Laster. It looks like any Irish play of the last 150 years: the ancient furniture, the out-of-date appliances, the cracked Tiffany lamps. The walls show extreme water damage and are mended with corrugated tin. But wait, that music is wrong. It’s Elvis and Brenda Lee. Then there are the costumes by Georgia Evans. At the beginning of the play, they resemble typical Irish play costumes. But wait. Soon, one sister dresses like a cute young girl of the 1960s. Then the other sister dresses as the high school tramp, out to catch the boys. Later, a simple fishmonger dons a sleek outfit worthy of early Travolta. And the lights by Lily Fossner are soon throwing disco ball effects on the set.
Most Irish plays are inundated with the location, the era, and history. Not here. These ladies’ minds are in the NEW ELECTRIC BALLROOM, the play’s title. It seems that years ago, at the ballroom, something terrible happened to the sisters involving boys, and they continue to relive these moments through poorly applied makeup and very long speeches.
If this is Ireland, it is the land of Samuel Beckett and James Joyce. The playwright is Enda Walsh. This is not dialogue; it is poetry. Poetry that describes the pain and sorrow of the past and the sadness of the present. And it is delivered at a rapid clip. Seeing this is the same as reading FINNEGAN’S WAKE. You don’t understand all of it. But it’s beautiful and washes over you like the ocean does the rocks in Galway Bay.
There is a plot of sorts as well, though you’ll be figuring it out long after the performance ends. Will the pretty younger sister continue to abet the siblings’ fantasies? Will the lowly fishmonger ever be invited to stay for tea? Will the older sisters gain control of the younger sister and have her join their unhappiness?
The cast has hundreds of combined years of local and national experience. Janis Dardaris plays the older sister, possessing the Mary Magdeline complex. Marcia Saunders is Clara, the sister of the Virgin Mary complex. Marcie Bramucci is the younger sister with “the beautiful face.” Stephen Patrick Smith plays the fishmonger with a bizarre and not-explained past.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Ireland, mainly in theaters and afterward in Dublin and Belfast pubs. One thing I’ve noticed about Irish acting is the total commitment to the character and their dreams. Every gesture and vocal trill is wholly fulfilled. You know what I mean if you’ve seen the original cast productions of BEAUTY QUEEN or THE FERRYMAN. As the Broadway replacement cast of FERRYMAN demonstrated, this is not easy for American actors. I can say without reservation that this is the best American cast of an Irish play I’ve ever seen. The director is Emma Gibson. Bravo!
Sometimes they are too good. The superb accents and the rapid pace make some moments unintelligible. But that’s alright. I’ll try to see BALLROOM again or attend one of the upcoming performances with captions on February 24, 29, and March 1.
A suggestion to the audience. Come prepared. You must listen carefully. You’ll miss too much if the mind wanders to dinner afterward or if you fed the cat.
RUNNING TIME: 75 minutes
THE NEW ELECTRIC BALLROOM plays through March 3 at Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Road, Media, PA. For tickets, hedgerowtheatre.org or 610-565-4211. In repertory with SHIRLEY VALENTINE.