The war between Ireland and Britain is fought out in a Philadelphia grocery-store basement in Corktown `57, John Fazakerley’s gripping family drama, now in a world-premiere production at the Odyssey.
The play’s title refers to the Irish section of Philadelphia which, in the early part of the 20th century, was a hotbed of IRA activity. Money and arms were collected there in support of the underground struggle in Ireland against the occupying British army. The IRA controlled Corktown through a pistol-packing political boss, called (in Fazakerley’s play) Tim Flynn (Josh Clark).
It’s Flynn who has given permission for John Keating (Andrew Connolly), a retired officer in the British army (and thus, a turncoat), to visit his family in Corktown. The patriarch of the family is Mike Keating (Nick Tate), a fanatical IRA supporter–and a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking reprobate who is seriously ill. Close to death as he is, he still refuses to forgive John for having gone over to the enemy.
The rest of the Keating family gets caught up in the strife between father and son. Frank (John Ruby) and his wife Janice (Natalie Britton) are political moderates who would rather raise their son Johnny (Jonah Beres) in peace–-and a long way from Corktown. But sister Kaitlin (Rebecca Tilney) is an IRA firebrand and activist; ditto her brother-in-law Ciaran (Kevin P. Kearns), who is also a leader of the dockworker’s union.
Fazakerley has created strong characters who are willing to fight to the death over their personal and ideological differences. This makes for good, strong, hard-driving drama. The playwright is also aided greatly by the first-rate production at the Odyssey, which starts with Joel Daavid’s multi-level set and Leigh Allen’s atmospheric lighting design, and goes on to include an accomplished cast (all of whom are utterly convincing in their roles) and the skillful direction of Wilson Milam.
This is a shining example of L.A. intimate theater.
