The Beacon

By Joseph Cervelli

The opening scene in Nancy Harris's North American premiere of her intriguing yet overwrought new play "The Beacon" at the Irish Rep is amusing. Taking place in a cottage on an island off the coast of West Cork, considered by many Ireland's feminist painter Beiv (Kate Mulgrew) is visited by her son Colm (Zach Appelman) and wife Bonnie (Ayana Workman). Colm decides to surprise his mother announcing that he and Bonnie are on their honeymoon. Bonnie was an art history major and tries to impress Beiv by analyzing the abstract painting that Beiv has just about completed. She speaks about the painting representing feminism, rape, female anatomy, etc. Beiv in a dry and far from humorous voice announces it is a blood orange. 

There is no doubt that Beiv is less than thrilled to have both of them there despite the fact she has not seen her son in over 10 years. While not actually estranged they are close to that. He is a successful software engineer in San Francisco and there has never been a warm relationship between them. And it does not help that he has never informed his mother of his recent marriage. I imagine it is hard for Beiv to be maternal when she calls herself "ferociously selfish." There are a number of secrets or mysteries going on. The main one is that Colm's dad mysteriously disappeared years ago while sailing one evening. There have been rumors though never proven that Beiv was responsible for his death, since the husband was an experienced sailor. While she and her husband were divorced he left her this cottage and left the money from their home in Dublin to her not apparently any to his son. Some neighbors seem to be on her side while one still calls her a murderer though no proof of this. To make matters worse a podcast will soon be debuting about the circumstances around her husband's death.  What really happened is explained at the end though even then you are not quite sure if completely true.  There is a forced feeling to a story Beiv tells about her husband's childhood at the conclusion of the play. 

Beiv cares nothing what people think and is in the process of remodeling the house knocking out walls and putting in glass ones. Colm is taken aback that she is leaving herself so exposed to neighbors, but it is as if she is badgering them. Her attitude towards her son and daughter-in-law is almost antagonistic. The title of the play is a metaphor for the way Beiv feels about the marriage. For her, the fact that Bonnie is a few years younger and with Colm so successful is a warning signal for him the marriage is not going work. Not quite sure about that airy logic.

Donal  (Sean Bell) is Colm's gay childhood friend who is taking part in the remodeling. The way they both look at each other after so many years is more than evident that something did happen when they were much younger. 

Beiv uncharacterically decides to have a dinner party with her Colm, Bonnie and Donal. Not sure why Harris or director Marc Atkinson Borrull needed to show Beiv setting the table which goes on for a longer period than necessary.  Perhaps, to present herself in a more favorable light but becomes tedious. And while doing this she hears some muffled sounds from what appears to be a television from a second floor of the cottage. But there is no second floor that I can recall. Not sure what that was all about. 

As you can expect the dinner party is a totally calamity. Colm becomes ruthlessly vile to his wife and when he physically grabs her arm she runs out. There is no doubt he has a drinking problem but something else you later find out went on that is briefly mentioned. Actually, that particular scene should have been shown to help explain further what accounted for Bonnie's anger. 

Something occurs just at the end of the first act which you would think play a part in the show but it really does not.

The second act is more of a let down even though one of the characters disappears. There is a languid discussion between two of the characters (won't mention which ones for spoiler reasons) and a new character (David Mattar Merten)  appears which adds no light on the proceedings. And to make matters worse what occurs between this new person and one of the other characters is far from believable. 

While the acting especially a strikingly superb one by Kate Mulgrew is quite good,  Borrull  needs to tone down the yelling a notch. Also, while some of the action moves steadily and engrossingly there are scenes that are just too long. The play runs an unnecessary two and a half hours.

Colm McNally's set and projection design is first rate as is the sounds of the ocean by sound designer Liam Bellman-Sharpe.

By no means is this an unsatisfactory play, it just could be condensed and some of the storyline much more tightly constructed. 

PHOTOS: Carol Rosegg

Tickets are available at the Irish Repertory Theatre 132 West 22nd Street.