Theater Review by Walter Murphy . . .
James Joyce’s only play, Exiles, was written in 1912 before his subsequent success as a writer of autobiographical fiction. Although the plot of the play mirrors Joyce’s life events and beliefs (i.e. leaving Ireland and his preference for open marriage), his script lacks his later skill in capturing his characters’ revealing inner monologues. The play’s dialogues sound, at times, like police interrogations. Fortunately, the current revival lets the performers bring new life and passion to the work. They give a winning performance of this early, rarely seen piece.
So much of James Joyce’s genius is communicating his characters’ inner thoughts, most notably in a stream of consciousness, which he perfected. Readers are taken on mind journeys that reveal characters’ opinions, desires, observations, and humor. We get to know characters intimately. That became Joyce’s genius—his ability to immerse the reader in his characters and settings.
In addition to Joyce’s flights of imagination, he also created strong female characters who were liberated from the prevailing social etiquette of his locale. His Ireland was a strict Catholic society. Despite those constraints, Joyce’s women, like Gretta Conroy in The Dead, and the unsinkable Molly Bloom of Ulysses, led lives mentally divorced from their husbands. They pursued and remembered passion in their lives.
Exiles finds a writer (Richard) recently returned from Rome to Dublin, where he reconnects with friends (Robert) and lovers (Beatrice). He brings with him his wife (Bertha) and son (Archie). He holds the opinion that he and his wife have the liberty to pursue their passions and are completely honest with each other. His good friend Robert has been in love with Bertha and wants to pursue his feelings for her. She is inclined to agree and succumbs to his desires.
The tension within the trio is that Richard knows of Robert’s desires but refuses to deny Bertha her freedom to choose. Richard struggles with his commitment while Bertha passionately declares her love for him. Robert accepts that he is not to have Bertha completely and reaffirms his loyalty to his friend. Tearfully, Richard and Bertha accept their mutual limitations.
The revival’s director, Zachary Elkind, makes many smart decisions for a more modern and focused production. He places the five-person cast at the center of the action, literally, given the transverse staging. He also removes extraneous detail offered in the original script. For example, Richard returns to Ireland upon the death of his mother, a fact of Joyce’s own life. A reference to Ireland’s “time of need” is not explained, nor is the comment that their leaving might be consiudered unpatriotic. The play is set in 1912, two years before the Easter Rising, the violent start of Ireland’s independence.
The talented and committed cast is left to bring passion and tension to the personal relationships of the characters. Rodd Cyrus’s Richard and Layla Khoshnoudi’s Bertha bring the heat. They move about the stage in a slow dance of seduction. With their subtle glances and tender touches, they are ready to play. Even their loose-fitting clothes slip seductively as they dance. Hot hot hot!
Jeffrey Omura’s Robert projects the quiet of a deep thinker, comfortable with his ideas and beliefs. He carries that reticence stoically until Bertha forces him to accept that she is thoroughly committed to him and always will be. He then breaks down and admits his love.
Violeta Picayo’s Beatrice struggles between what is known of her affairs and how they will be perceived. Her portrayal is tentative until Bertha, the whirlwind of passion, offers understanding and friendship.
Mattie Tindal’s Archie provides comic relief from the often tense conversations and her Brigid, the maid, directs traffic in and around the home.
Stage design by Cate McCrea lends a modern appeal to the production. The sparseness of the set focuses one’s attention on the performers. I particularly liked the use of open-latticed, steel ottomans, revealing books, and a woman’s framed silhouette within. A perfect touch for a play about a writer and his wife.
Costume design by Alyssa Korol reflected the personality of the roles: drab neutral for the uptight characters (Richard, Beatrice, and Archie/Brigid); while the passionate duo Robert and Bertha wore colorful, flowing outfits. Good contrast and choices.
Although Joyce’s only play has been seldom produced and has had spotty reception through the years, this production gives it a respectable turn.
Exiles. Through March 15 at A.R.T./NY Theatre’s Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre (502 West 53rd Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues), presented by The MAP Theater – www.themaptheater.com
Photos: George Vail
