Duo’s Vigorous Work Grabs Hold in Albion’s Witty Drama ‘Lungs’

Duo’s Vigorous Work Grabs Hold in Albion’s Witty Drama ‘Lungs’

By Lynn Venhaus

With its emotionally rich storytelling, “Lungs” demands much from Joel Moses and Nicole Angeli, who fearlessly tackle those challenges in their finely chiseled performances as M and W.

As a couple linked through many years, the pair have seamlessly plumbed the depths of human nature to expose raw nerves, painful truths and tender intimacy. They start out as young lovers – enlightened, independent thinkers — figuring out their life together and separately, then acquire experiences and perspective, increasingly uncertain of tomorrow.

Because of their fluent reactions to developing relationship situations, you hang on to every twist and hairpin turn of daily living in this offbeat, unconventional drama that is laced with humor – and just may elicit a tear or two.

Under director Ellie Schwetye’s shrewd guidance, the duo has created such a level of comfort that it appears to unfold spontaneously, in real time. Their mental acuity, verbal dexterity, and agile physicality is astonishing, as is Schwetye’s modulated pacing.

Angeli and Moses are on stage the entire time, being honest and open, overthinking their lives as developing people on a planet in crisis. They reveal their flaws as they personify their genders – as they interpret the assignment. She’s more neurotic, but also empowered; he’s more even keel, but willing to adjust and can jump in, then deal with consequences. And you never doubt their sincerity.  

Duncan Macmillan’s thoroughly relatable two-hander play confronts making grown-up decisions that change your life’s trajectory — the small moments and the big milestones, the planned and the unplanned.

A recurring theme concerns current global environmental and climate changes underway. With such issues as carbon footprints, depletion of natural resources, and overpopulation being real dilemmas, M and W debate bringing children into the modern world. Is it reckless, risky or responsible – and are they ready?

The setting is various locations in the south of England, over a period of many years. Macmillan’s not so much obsessed with pollution as he is focused on communication as citizens of the world and our place in it.

The sagacious Albion Theatre is closing out its second full season with this penetrating production after entering the regional professional theater scene in 2022. Its mission is to present British playwrights (with forays into other United Kingdom territories and Ireland), mainly highlighting social, political and cultural influences.

This is their most contemporary effort to date. A Gen X’er, Macmillan was born in England.

Photo by John Lamb

Schwetye has minimally staged this 105-minute play without intermission, using Erik Kuhn’s bare set design that features two sloping slabs and a stationary middle. Her crisp sound design and Tony Anselmo’s natural lighting design keep that aesthetic, as does one casual costume design each by Tracey Newcomb. CJ Langdon did double duty as assistant director and stage manager.

The actors, both St. Louis Theater Circle Award winners, color in the rest – their ages, places and times in the ebb and flow of their lives. W is a Ph.D. grad student; M is a musician when they’re introduced in a ‘queue’ at Ikea. The team seasoned the material well, emphasizing the beats of Macmillan’s on-the-nose prose for optimum effect.

Macmillan’s 2013 play, ‘Every Brilliant Thing,” is in the same lane as “Lungs,” examining the complexities of modern living. It’s been staged several times in St. Louis, including a production Schwetye directed for New Jewish Theatre in spring 2023. The playwright is exceptionally articulate about being human, fretful and striving for goodness.

This match-up feels like five sets of championship tennis on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Surely the intensity would exhaust both actors, but they seem invigorated. By the time Angeli and Moses bittersweetly wrap up this story, the audience has been through a tsunami of ‘feels,’ and all earned.

“Lungs” is not injected with any artificial sweeteners or saturated fat, and the play’s lean, muscular style is riveting. You may not have figured these two people out by the conclusion, but you know them, and are in awe of the actors’ ability to just ‘be,’ no pretense.

With such an articulate, sharp-witted piece, I am reminded that, for all our modern worries, above all, we get to carry each other.

Albion Theatre presents “Lungs” Oct. 18 to Nov. 3, with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre, 501 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103. For more information, visit www.albiontheatrestl.org.

Albion Theatre’s ‘Woman in Mind’ Vividly Contrasts Fantasy Life with Harsh Realism in an Acting Showcase

Albion Theatre’s ‘Woman in Mind’ Vividly Contrasts Fantasy Life with Harsh Realism in an Acting Showcase

By Lynn Venhaus

Something is noticeably off-kilter as “Woman in Mind” embarks on an exploration of mental illness, an unusual dramedy from one of England’s most highly regarded playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn.

Albion Theatre, which specializes in works centered in the United Kingdom, tackles another complex production with elan. With its rigorous roles and uncommon style, “Woman in Mind” has a higher level of difficulty to pull off than last year’s amusing Ayckbourn black comedy “Absent Friends.”

But as with all their shows, they attract a top-tier ensemble, and this one’s a well-modulated unit – with each performer standing out in their debuts with the company.

Director Robert Ashton keeps the audience on their toes, for this play is told from a subjective first-person perspective. The imaginary world is vividly presented.

Ayckbourn, who has written 90 plays, has often toyed with conventional structures and crafted eccentric characters, many of whom are going through relationship difficulties and are at a crossroads.

He is fond of presenting class and gender discrepancies, with his quirky wit, and this one tackles certain failures to address mental health before it reaches crisis level.

Word is that “Woman in Mind” draws from his mother’s nervous breakdown and his estranged relationship with his son. In any case, it feels authentic despite the absurdities, and some outlandish swerves later in the narrative.

Written in 1985, the play is set in a home’s backyard garden in a small town south of London, and a loveless marriage is the springboard to how neglect manifests madness.

The main character, Susan, appears dazed and confused after falling while doing yardwork, initially conked on the head by a rake. Never leaving the stage, Emily Baker is compelling as she expresses every fleeting emotion when trying to figure out what has happened to her.

Emily Baker, Matt Hanify and Ryan Lawson-Maeske. Photo by John Lamb.

It’s a tour de force performance, for Baker adroitly alternates between a surreal dream life and a grim nightmarish reality. While a brain injury is no laughing matter, how Ayckbourn handles the tonal shifts is interesting.

Miserable spouses have been key components to social commentaries the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s produced in films such as “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” “An Unmarried Woman,” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and one could draw similarities here.

Ayckbourn is actually bold and daring when revealing the two very different scenarios as supporting characters are introduced. We see what Susan sees and hears what she does, and the blurred lines are striking.

Danny Brown’s thoughtful performance as Bill Windsor, Susan’s concerned, caring doctor, triggers the red flags. The hallucinations are played for laughs, not unlike a vintage screwball comedy.

When an attentive husband, a jovial brother and an adoring daughter show up, acting more like characters in a modern prescription drug commercial or referencing a 1960s TV family sitcom, the unreal atmosphere is intriguing.

It helps that Isaiah Di Lorenzo, in jaunty Cary Grant mode, and Joseph Garner, as an exaggerated version of beloved Brit comic actor Terry Thomas, willingly chew the scenery playing the fantasy husband Andy and cheerful sibling Tony. Both forces of nature on local stages, their performances always entertain and usually have a surprise element.

The expressive relationship dynamics point to Susan’s unhappiness. Sarah Vallo plays the fantasy daughter Lucy in the image of a perky, agreeable debutante that appears to be her mum’s best friend.

Joseph Garner and Emily Baker. Photo by John Lamb.

These idealistic images contrast sharply with the real people causing her pain. Matt Hanify plays her dull and self-absorbed husband Gerald, a vicar, as an unaffectionate stick-in-the-mud, and Ryan Lawson-Maeske is her tone-deaf son Rick, an ungrateful selfish adult who hasn’t communicated with his mother since he joined a cult, but now is free.

From her point of view, neither are willing to give her what she craves, and their lack of compassion has led to Susan’s breaking point.

These are unsympathetic roles convincingly portrayed by Hanify and Lawson-Maeske. But in another twist, they offer some harsh truths about Susan’s failings as a wife and mother that add another layer of dysfunction.

In a comic relief role, Susan Wylie is Muriel, Susan’s sister-in-law who often acts as a housekeeper, equal parts exasperated and daffy. And her culinary mishaps are hilarious. She is obsessed, however, with her deceased husband.

Because a nervous breakdown is a central theme, one imagines an unsettling and disturbing conclusion is inevitable, a la Tennessee Williams, rather than a happy musical comedy ending.

Aiding the creeping darkness is fine technical work from the creative staff. Michelle Zielinski’s lighting design and Jacob Baxley’s sound design enhance the moods while Tracey Newcomb’s costume choices match the personalities involved.

Erik Kuhn’s straightforward scenic design simply depicted a tidy garden, and he also oversaw the crisp tech work. Gwynneth Rausch’s ace work in multiple roles – assistant director, stage manager, and props – is again commendable.

The play, at about 2.5 hours plus intermission, becomes tedious with nonsensical gibberish in the final stretch as we toggle back-and-forth between a heightened reality and an increasingly wild series of events surrounding Lucy’s wedding that indicates David Lynchian weirdness.

But Baker’s mesmerizing performance showcases her keen intelligence and grasp of the character’s requirements, and that level of difficulty is not unlike a marathon runner, for the stamina on display is extraordinary.

After establishing herself as one of the more accomplished performers in town, she took a hiatus several years ago for all the right reasons, and now is back on the boards. It’s an exciting leading role return that should not be missed.

Joseph Garner, Danny Brown and Isaiah Di Lorenzo. Photo by John Lamb.

Albion Theatre presents “Woman in Mind” June 7 – 23 weekends at the Kranzberg Black Box, with performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.  For more information, visit www.AlbionTheatreSTL.org.

Albion’s Heart-Tugging ‘Molly Sweeney’ Showcases Vivid Portrayals

Albion’s Heart-Tugging ‘Molly Sweeney’ Showcases Vivid Portrayals

By Lynn Venhaus

Heartwarming and heartbreaking, “Molly Sweeney” lingers.

Albion Theatre’s intriguing first foray into producing an Irish play is a poignant mix of comedy and drama that prompts further reflection.

Three engaging performers, all delivering memory monologues without interaction, warmly relay their perspectives in an intimate setting that becomes quite special.

A master storyteller, playwright Brian Friel (1929-2015) followed in the grand Irish tradition of entertaining people through emotional connection. Considered one of the best modern dramatists, he published 24 plays, including “Philadelphia, Here I Come,” “Translations” and “Dancing at Lughnasa.”

In this thoughtful 1994 work, he intertwined hope and despair, fantasy and reality, and fate and destiny. He based his title character on a true story brought to light by famous neurologist Oliver Sacks, in an essay “To See and Not See,” later published in “An Anthropologist on Mars.”

The nearly unsinkable Molly is inspired by an Oklahoma man who had been functionally blind his whole life and underwent a rare operation to partially restore his sight, at the urging of his fiancé, in 1991. While initially the surgery was a success, the consequences were something else entirely.

In splendid lyrical prose, Friel weaves the frames of mind of three distinctive characters, whose meditations on their life choices are at once universal and specific – the highs and lows, the ups and downs, the triumphs, and the losses. This cast grabs our attention by pulling our heartstrings hard.

Molly (Maggie Wininger), 41, has been blind since she was 10 months old. An optimist despite her affliction, she takes delight in the simple pleasures of her life in Ballybeg, a fictional Irish town. She talks about her friends and neighbors with great affection, and is married to spirited Frank (CJ Langdon), who finds joy and wonder in nearly everything.

He persuades Molly, along with an eye surgeon, Mr. Rice (Paul Gutting), to go through an operation that may restore her sight. He thinks she’ll be complete. After all, what does she have to lose? (oh, in hindsight…).

Langdon, Wininger and Gutting. Photo by John Lamb

A radiant Wininger imbues Molly with cheer and charm. She’s realistic about the condition she lives with, daring not to dream of happiness ever after.

As their travails unfold, the trio spurs thoughts about how we perceive our place in the world, how we affect people and how we are affected by others during our lifetime learning processes.

C.J. Langdon, a newcomer to St. Louis, is impressive in his regional professional debut. As Frank, a tad off the wall, he’s enthusiastic in his outlook on life and dearly loves his wife, although he’s not as accomplished as others. His heart is pure, like Molly’s, and he is very funny.

Mr. Rice, the surgeon, has had more hard knocks than he wants people to know about, but his telltale sign of trouble is the copious amounts of whiskey he consumes. A once promising doctor, a tough betrayal sent him reeling, and he’s a shadow of his former self. But somehow, he pulled it together to give Molly back her sight. Will it restore his career?

Returning to the stage after 15 years’ absence, Gutting is a strong force, conveying his character’s success and failures in measured tones, and the regret is palpable.

The beauty of a black-box stage is how we can witness these deeply felt performances up close, and the attentive actors put their personal stamp on them.

Robert Ashton has superbly cast and directed this show, welcoming a shining Wininger back on stage after a real-life break to become a mother of two while introducing a fresh young talent in Langdon and heralding an admirable comeback by Gutting.

All three are marvelously in sync as they subtly shift tones, veering from elation and exuberance to deflated and melancholy.

Sadly, this trajectory reveals how Molly’s inherent gaiety about her independent life that Wininger beautifully embodies at first will seep away as she wrestles with all the expectations that sight has done to her psyche  – and how she was influenced by these two well-meaning men (they have their own dreams about being heroes).

Wininger bends her whole body to show us how Molly has used touch, smells, sounds and her own adaptations to live productively. It’s a noteworthy expressive performance physically besides nailing an appealing regional accent and captivating us with her tales.

In Friel’s examination of their lives, he raises questions about our quests for improvement at others’ expense if we’re comfortable with our life — perhaps we should be content with the cards we’re dealt. We should think about what we want, and not base decisions to please others, and maybe those urging us to change should step back.

The observations are sharply in focus in Albion’s finely put together work. An expert team behind the scenes – Gwynneth Rausch as assistant director and stage manager, Erik Kuhn’s effective minimalist set design, Eric Wennlund’s astute lighting design and Ashton’s precise sound design – keep attention on the characters.

Costume designer Tracey Newcomb dressed them in comfy attire appropriate to their social place – an attractive print dress for Molly, casual sweater for Frank, and then jacket and corduroys for the doctor.

Albion always spotlights music reflecting their shows’ culture, and their pre-show and intermission pieces are written by Turlough O’Carolan, an 18th century blind harpist, composer, and singer that some consider Ireland’s national composer.

It suits the presentation well, just like everything assembled for this stirring piece.

First performed in Dublin, “Molly Sweeney” arrived in America in 1996 for an off-Broadway production by Roundabout Theatre starring Catherine Byrne as Molly, Alfred Molina as Frank, and Jason Robards as Mr. Rice. That show won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. A revival happened in 2013 in west London, then the Irish Repertory Theatre performed it on screen in 2020.

Albion’s smart choice allows us to delve into Friel’s discerning sensibilities and vivid characters passionately refreshed by Wininger, Langdon and Gutting. The narrative is as indelible as the actors.

I appreciated their eloquent interpretations very much, introducing me to a play I was unfamiliar with, and now will not forget.  

Albion Theatre presents “Molly Sweeney” March 15 through March 31 at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre, 501 N. Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63103. For more details on tickets and times, go to Albion Theatre: https://albiontheatrestl.org/tickets/

Photo by John Lamb

Spirited ‘Finale’ Excels At Examining Creative Process in WEPG’s Premiere

Spirited ‘Finale’ Excels At Examining Creative Process in WEPG’s Premiere

By Lynn Venhaus
Inspired by real 19th century artists, “Finale” examines the creative process of renowned Italian composer Gioachino Rossini with a nimble cast of four and jaunty, skillful writing.

West End Players Guild has produced its final play of the 111th season, and this comedy-drama is well-suited for their intimate theater space.

It’s also a feather in their cap, a world premiere written by Vladimir Zelevinsky, who is a playwright at home in the Union Avenue Christian Church basement, for this is his fourth play to be presented there.

For his previous WEPG works, he received a welcome reception and critical praise that garnered St Louis Theater Circle nominations, with “Manifest Destiny” in 2016 and “The Great Seduction” in 2018. His world premiere of “The Cricket on the Hearth” happened in December 2019, all directed by Steve Callahan.

Zelevinsky is also a research scientist based in Massachusetts and was in St. Louis to attend the inaugural performances last weekend.

While the play is fiction, it’s based on historical figures, and he obviously put in a lot of research into the characters: roguish “Jack” Rossini (Tim McWhirter), talented diva Isabella Colbran, his lover and later wife (Paula Stoff Dean), wealthy and anxious impresario Domenico Barbaia (Matt Anderson) and a coquettish muse Angel (Sadie Harvey), a likely composite of lovers vying for the outgoing genius’ attention.

Sadie Harvey, Paula Stoff Dean, Timothy McWhirter. Photo by John Lamb.

If you are not an operagoer, you are still likely to have heard of Rossini, who composed 39 operas, in addition to some chamber music, sacred music and piano pieces. His “The Barber of Seville” was a major success and his overture is legendary in his final piece, “William Tell.”

If you’re familiar with his work and life, you’ll understand the timelines and how impactful his creations were – among his accomplishments, he is credited with establishing the bel canto style of singing, using unusual rhythms, and effectively inserting crescendos. After he gained fame for his comic approach, he turned to more serious, dramatic fare, and those tones are reflected in the two acts.

“Finale” focuses on the popular Jack’s chaotic approach to deadlines, for as brilliant as Rossini was, he was notoriously lazy and insouciant. In the first act, as portrayed superbly – and pliant — by McWhirter, he’s ambitious and full of vigor, but in the second act, he’s disillusioned and dour, which is quite a departure after the jolly fun of Act I. There is a 15-minute intermission.

Act I is set in 1816 Rome, backstage at an opera, when Rossini was nearly 24 years old. Act II takes place 15 years later, in 1823, in a grand opera house in Paris. This time, at 39, it’s not procrastination troubling him, but how to handle the crossroads in his life. While no one knows for certain why, Rossini never composed another opera, and lived well until age 76. He loved to travel and entertain, and Zelevinsky drops names of his famous contemporaries and places he frequented to give us a sense of his place in history.

Photo by John Lamb

The second act’s noticeable shift of tone is a jolt but is based on the knowledge that Rossini ceased composing operas, which is puzzling to comprehend.

With Zelevinsky’s keen wit and penchant for detail, the spirited cast enlivens the first act much like a vintage screwball comedy. Their verbal dexterity and crisp comic timing make the snappy repartee a delight.  

After all, his comic operas were considered farcical fun, for his sitcom-like plots took lively twists and turns, and Callahan, an opera afficionado, mimics those wacky antics in crafting the physical comedy onstage and keeping the pace of the sprightly banter.

McWhirter’s hilarious nonchalance about writing pages so close to opening is contrasted by Anderson’s palpable exasperation over that unruffled demeanor.

In the second act, the supportive Barbaia has learned how to handle the prima donna, Bella is pragmatic about their marriage after distance separated them, and all the characters convey a more serious approach.

One of the show’s highlights is Dean showcasing her strong vocals, for she is an accomplished singer. Last summer, she played Desiree in Stray Dog Theatre’s “A Little Night Music.”

That’s an appreciated addition, for a show about music should give us a sample, at least.

Adding to the ambiance is scenic designer Ken Clark’s versions of two different houses hosting Rossini’s operas – one less opulent in Rome and the other more lavish in Paris. He has astutely serviced the action with furniture placement. Marjorie Williamson contributed graphic and scenic art.

Proficient costume designer Tracey Newcomb outfits the quartet in authentic-looking period pieces, with the women cavorting in petticoats for a good stretch, and lovely bright-colored gowns indicating stature.

Nathan Schroeder’s lighting design and Chuck Lavazzi’s sound design expertly provide smooth transitions for an effective overall production, with special mention to music advisor Caetlyn Van Buren.

Despite the abrupt change of moods between the first and second acts, the capable ensemble is pitch-perfect in depicting their characters. It’s often difficult to explore the inner workings of writers in a narrative, because the process is so internal, but Zelevinsky provides a reasonable backstory with good humor and interesting dialogue for a fitting “Finale.”

The West End Players Guild presents “Finale” April 28-30 and May 4-7, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Boulevard, St. Louis. For more information, visit www.westendplayers.org

Photo by John Lamb

Captivating Cast in Albion’s Inspired Pinter Classic ‘The Birthday Party’

Captivating Cast in Albion’s Inspired Pinter Classic ‘The Birthday Party’

By Lynn Venhaus

An absurd comedy with heightened drama is an aural treat in Albion Theatre’s tension-filled, cryptic Harold Pinter classic, “The Birthday Party.”

In a small boarding house – “it’s on the list!” – at the English seaside, longtime lodger Stanley is tormented by a secret. When two mysterious strangers arrive, nothing seems to be what it appears to be.

Pinter’s unusual combination of humor and menace crystalizes the chaos at a bizarre birthday party, and lives will change that night and in the aftermath.

They talk to each other, but do they really listen?

A skilled and sharp ensemble is crisply directed by Suki Peters in the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre. Creating this odd world, they never skip a beat, measuring their pauses and growing a sense of dread while supplying both irrational behavior and their usual routines.

Nick Freed, Ted Drury, Chuck Winning. Photo by John Lamb


When they focus on the humor, they draw out nervous laughter from the audience. Playwright Pinter’s first work, from 1959, is seen through this creative team’s fresh eyes, and while edgy and powerful, is a model of restraint.

Pinter’s trademarks of confusing time and space, as well as making isolated characters ambiguous are noted here.

The extraordinary work of this cast in shaping their enigmatic portrayals elevates this experience. Instead of confusion about its peculiarities, we grasp their rhythms.

Robert Ashton is Petey, an amiable senior with a menial beach job who seems to tolerate his wife Meg’s daffiness. Teresa Doggett is delightfully flaky and giggly as an eccentric Meg, flitting about her domestic duties.

As the charming Boles’, Ashton and Doggett add authenticity with their native tongues amplifying their characters, and the remaining cast members, Midwesterners all, are flawless in delivering their United Kingdom dialects.

This sets the mood splendidly. Danger is looming, but what and why?

The couple’s boarder seems harmless, but then reveals a temper. In a flash, Ted Drury complicates Stanley’s erratic behavior. He says he was a piano player, which impresses Meg – but leaves things open for interpretation. He’s concealing his past, which is murky. Drury conveys simmering tension until he boils over.

Winning, Summer Baer. Photo by John Lamb

An imposing Chuck Winning is a marvel when his threatening blowhard character Goldberg waltzes down memory lane or philosophizes about life, in a dominating, disturbing way.

His associate McCann, well-played by newcomer Nick Freed, isn’t as intimidating as Goldberg, but is frightening, nonetheless. A mob enforcer? Hitman? He has the look and the sinister tone, but also projects a world-weariness.

Ryan Lawson-Maeske has capably choreographed significant fight scenes, and one is an especially scary encounter.

A sunny Summer Baer has a small but pivotal role as Lulu, a light-hearted local girl who enjoys socializing. She’s an innocent who becomes targeted in untoward behavior.

Baer looks terrific in vintage outfits fashioned by costume designer Tracey Newcomb, who has captured the characters’ well in apparel. A special shout-out for Meg’s shiny party gown.

Set designer Brad Slavik’s shabby living and dining rooms accurately reflect the Boles’ economic status, with Majorie Williamson’s scenic design contributions, while Tony Anselmo’s lighting design punctuates the atmosphere perfectly.

Gwyneth Rausch has found appropriate props – that toy drum – to reflect the period, and sound designer Michael Musgrave-Perkins has enhanced the atmosphere with his choices.

“The Birthday Party” is meant to often seem illogical, but Albion’s inspired production is actually quite cohesive, benefitting from outstanding ensemble work and Peters’ distinct direction.

Teresa Doggett, Ted Drury, Nick Freed. Photo by John Lamb

Albion Theatre presents “The Birthday Party” Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from March 10 through March 26 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

Performers Shine in WEPG’s charming Irish rom-com ‘Outside Mullingar’

Performers Shine in WEPG’s charming Irish rom-com ‘Outside Mullingar’

By Lynn Venhaus
Known mostly in offbeat roles, versatile actors Colleen Backer and Jason Meyers are a dynamic duo in the irresistible romantic comedy “Outside Mullingar” at the West End Players Guild.

They shine as neighbors – 40-ish singles who are not mingling, and desperation about time passing by is creeping into their humdrum lives. Clearly, they are meant to be together, but their stars have been crossed by shyness, insecurities, grudges, stubbornness, misperceptions, their peculiar families, and past heartbreak.

Only children, they have lived their whole lives on adjacent family farms outside Mullingar, County Westmeath, in Ireland — with a pesky land dispute issue — and cared for elderly parents until they passed. Later, on their own, you’d think there would be an easier path to true love. But when you meet feisty Rosemary Muldoon and gentle, introverted Anthony Reilly, you will find out why it’s been a rocky road.

This confection is from acclaimed writer John Patrick Shanley, an Oscar winner for his original 1987 screenplay “Moonstruck” and a Tony winner for “Doubt: A Parable” in 2005, which also won a Pulitzer Prize. In 2014, he was nominated for another Tony Award for Best Play for this laugh-out-loud rom-com produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club that is also poignant and redolent with local color.

His lilting dialogue has a delightful rhythm to it, and the four-person cast is nimble in delivery, especially with the quirky cultural colloquialisms and customs. Shanley expresses his love for the land, and what makes Ireland so special, too, which is n interesting addition.

This is Shanley’s second play to be adapted into a movie, which came out as “Wild Mountain Thyme” in 2020 with Jamie Dornan, Emily Blunt and Christopher Walken, and cast Jon Hamm as the American cousin Adam, although in the play, you never see Adam, just hear about him. The film is available to stream on Hulu.

Jodi Stockton and Brad Slavik are well-suited to play Rosemary’s plucky widowed mother Aoife and Anthony’s gruff ailing father Tony with droll wit and pragmatic wisdom –while not exactly guiding their children in the most encouraging ways. Oh, those Irish squabbles that never seem to fade from memory.

Jodi Stockton, Colleen Backer and Brad Slavik. Photo by John Lamb

In this distinctive Shanley scenario, the women seem to be stronger in lessons learned from life than the men do – and aren’t afraid to admonish them about it. Recognize your own family members? They may be a tad stereotypical, but they resonate.

The snappy repartee is one of the most fun aspects of this beguiling show – the parent and child scenes as well as the ones with a feisty Rosemary and a testy Anthony. She is often antagonistic, and he is frequently defensive, so sparks fly in a genuine way – and they convey the more complicated suppressed yearning and desires.

Backer and Meyer aren’t usually cast in “regular people’ roles, often unconventional – and good at it, as they are both current St Louis Theater Circle Award nominees for comedic work last year. But with abundant zeal, they are very sweet together as this couple finding their way. In fact, it would be swell if they were cast together again.

The almost sold-out audience on Feb. 17 was rooting for them – you could hear a few cheers, shouts, and whoops.

WEPG has produced other engaging Irish plays before – “The Lonesome West” last year and “Bloomsday” by Steven Dietz the year prior, and it’s a good fit, with their modest stage and intimate setting.

But perhaps none more adorable. Director Jessa Knust, with assistance from Karen Pierce, recognized the humor in the idiosyncratic characters, and ensures they are endearing, even when they are arguing.

And they stage the “Will they or won’t they?” framework with cleverness and sharp moves by swift Backer and Meyers, who are terrific at physical comedy.

Morgan Maul-Smith’s sound design is strong, and enhanced by Celtic music and pop hits by the Irish band The Corrs that entertains before, in bumps and after this spirited 90-minute show without an intermission. And the cast nailed the dialects perfectly the night I was there.

The artisan designers did fine work – Tracey Newcomb on costumes, Jacob Winslow on set, Karen Pierce on lighting, and Knust on props.

Timed to be a Valentine’s treat, “Outside Mullinger” is a marvelously performed hopeful tale about affairs of the heart that is not ordinary at all, and all the more delightful because of its daffy characters and Irish warmth.

As Irish novelist James Stephens once said: “What the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow.”

West End Players Guild presents “Outside Mullingar” from Feb. 10 to Feb. 19, with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Thursday Feb. 16 at 8 p.m., and Sundays Feb. 12 and Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Boulevard in the Central West End. Tickets for all performances of “Outside Mullingar” are on sale at www.WestEndPlayers.org/tickets or at the box office before the show.

Jodi Stockton and Brad Slavik. Photo by John Lamb

Irish Charmer ‘Bloomsday’ Engages with Time Travel – and a Love Story

Irish Charmer ‘Bloomsday’ Engages with Time Travel – and a Love Story

By Lynn Venhaus

Set in Dublin, “Bloomsday” is a little charmer that whisks you away to the Emerald Isle in a time travel love story. (Yes, you read that right).

Written by Steven Dietz in 2017, the playwright has an ear for the rhythms of youthful adventurers and the wistful reminiscences of older adults.

“Bloomsday” highlights James Joyce’s use of the Irish capital city’s landmarks during an ordinary June 16 in 1904, the setting for his masterwork novel, “Ulysses,” which was published in 1920.

There is such devotion to the novel that every June 16, fans dress up as characters and celebrate Bloomsday in Dublin, some making a pilgrimage.

With his literary use of modernism, the Irish novelist, short story writer, poet, teacher, and critic is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

The West End Players Guild opened its 110th season with Dietz’s witty drama, which had been postponed from last year during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. His play, “This Random World,” was previously performed in the Union Avenue Christian Church basement.

With minimal staging representing several locales, West End is well-suited to produce such an intimate play. The pleasing set design features a view of Dublin’s shops and pubs lining cobblestone streets, with excellent artwork by Marjorie Williamson and Morgan Maul-Smith.

Four endearing performers star as a young couple, Robbie and Caithleen, in scenes from 35 years ago, and as the older Robert and Cait one day last June.

Megan Wiegart and Jeff Lovell. Photo by John Lamb.

Jeff Lovell, topped with a straw boater hat familiar to Joyce fans, plays the 55-year-old American college professor Robert, whose life changed during one magical day. He was 20 years old and taking a walking tour highlighting James Joyce’s Dublin.

That’s when he met tour guide Caithleen, 20, played with verve by Megan Wiegert. She won Robbie’s heart that day — but he did not take her back to America with him. Why not? The dreamer in her was certainly willing.

Wondering what might have been with “the one who got away” is the focus in this no-frills yet delightful production. The takeaway is to make the most of the present before it is past because we can’t get back lost time.

The cast conveys the urgency to pursue that road less taken so that looking back isn’t such a heartache. Dietz injects humor into the discoveries as the quartet moves back and forth through time, reliving the impetuousness of youth as the older adults look back with regrets and “what ifs.”

Could it still happen after all these years? The older Robert, with the benefit of hindsight, has returned to Dublin for a reunion with Caithleen, who now calls herself “Cait.” However, he finds the spunky young Caithleen instead, having somehow traveled back in time to that only day they spent together. She remains full of wanderlust, and he remembers her attractive qualities.

The young – and directionless — Robbie is played earnestly by an energetic John T. Moore, and the older Robert realizes he should have been more decisive.

Colleen Heneghan is a sweet-natured Cait, playing the spry but aged woman with a twinkle in her eye and a song still in her heart. The yearning to experience all that life offers is still there, although she basically settled for complacency. In her conversations with her younger self, she is surprisingly candid and explains her choices.

Both women have worked to perfect convincing Irish dialects, and those lovely lilts are uplifting.

Costume Designer Tracey Newcomb has outfitted the foursome in suitable attire for travels, age and time periods while Jackie Aumer accented the scenes with appropriate props.

The four are an engaging ensemble – all making their WEPG debut — and the creative team has made this a memorable romantic comedy. Director Jessa Knust, also making her debut, has ensured that the unusual format is understandable. She was assisted by Karen Pierce.

Celtic folk tunes are used effectively to set a merry mood, and Ted Drury’s sound design is noteworthy, with Mason Hagarty crisply operating the sound board. Jacob Winslow has done a nice job with the lighting design.

I felt like I was on an interesting journey, which is a good thing after being mostly housebound during quarantines and the 18-month public health crisis.

After all, no one is alone in wondering what might have been. Having some interesting points to ponder was entertaining live theater.

John T. Moore, Colleen Heneghan, Jeff Lovell, Megan Wiegart in “Bloomsday.” Photo by John Lamb.

The show has seven performances from Sept. 17 through Sept. 26, with Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting at 8 p.m. on the second weekend and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union in the Central West End. For tickets and more information, visit www.westendplayers.org

This season, the theater company is employing touchless ticketing, socially distanced seating and indoor masking of all patrons and front-of-house staff and volunteers. They are operating under special policies and procedures to minimize the risk of Covid-19 transmission and infection.  For full details on our public health policies, please visit www.WestEndPlayers.org/covid-19-policies/.