by Mike Hoban
The Irish and How They Got That Way – Book by Frank McCourt; Directed by Dawn M. Simmons; Music Direction by Kirsten Salpini; Original musical arrangements by Rusty Magee; Additional musical arrangements by Kirsten Salpini; Presented by special arrangement with The Irish Repertory Theatre Company, Inc. by the Greater Boston Stage Company at 395 Main St, Stoneham Through March 25th
Anyone who utters the phrase “the Luck of the Irish” might want to take a closer look at history and reconsider its usage, as the Greater Boston Stage Company’s production of Frank McCourt’s The Irish and How They Got That Way clearly demonstrates. For all the adorable leprechauns and amusing anecdotes about excessive drinking that are associated with the Emerald Isle, there is also a rich vein of melancholy running through the saga of the Irish over the last few centuries, particularly the period that preceded their journey across the pond to America through the beginning of the twentieth century. Which is not to say that this production is in any way a downer. Quite the contrary, the six person (three men and three women) cast rips through a bevy of Irish tunes both familiar and obscure while generating both smiles and tears.
Those who believe that Irish songs can be separated into two categories – ones that make you cry and drinking songs – might have their eyes and ears opened through the wide range of not only the ballads and playful boozing songs that the talented cast offers, but also the music of the labor movement, Broadway and a dash of Rock ‘n Roll. The show opens with a medley of mostly familiar Irish tunes like “If You Ever Go Across the Sea to Ireland” and “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” before the mood begins to turn a little darker and the history lesson begins, starting with the Great Potato Famine – where more than 1.5 million people starved to death. Sadder still, it didn’t have to be that way, as other crops such as wheat and oats as well as beef, mutton, pork and poultry were in plentiful supply, but these were shipped abroad by the English landowners for profit, while the Irish poor starved. The tragedy spawned songs like “Fields of Athenry” and “Skibberdeen” that detailed the horrible time, as well as “Anchors Aweigh” (not the Navy tune) and “Shores of Amerikay” about the Irish leaving their homeland for the U.S.
Once here, the Irish aren’t exactly welcomed with open arms, as songs like “No Irish Need Apply” and “Irish Washerwoman” sadly attest. Through newspaper accounts read by the cast, we see that the Irish are held in lower esteem than wild animals, at least until they begin building the infrastructure of the country by constructing waterways (“Erie Canal”) and railroads. The show also addresses their legendary “fondness for the drink” that is worsened by extreme poverty and living conditions (“Moonshine”, “Finnegan’s Wake”, and of course, a beautiful rendition of “Danny Boy”).
The show also honors the Irish contributions to the labor movement with “The Ghost of Molly Maguire”; a medley of George M. Cohan songs, including “Give My Regards to Broadway”, “You’re A Grand Ole Flag” and “I’m A Yankee Doodle Dandy”, and “Johnny We Hardly Knew Ya” (a moving tribute to JFK), before closing with a tune from modern-day Irish rockers U2.
The solid cast features GBSC regulars Ceit Zweil and William Gardiner, as well as Nile Hawver, Michael Levesque, Nicole Vander Laan, and Kirsten Salpini (who seems to be recovering nicely from the car accident that sidelined her during the run of She Loves Me at GBSC last winter), who also served as musical director for the production. The harmonies on the ensemble pieces are gorgeous, and Zweil (whose first name is the Scottish Gaelic spelling of the name Kate and is a manic ball of energy throughout) and Salpini in particular deliver some outstanding solo work.
The book was written by Irish-American author Frank McCourt, who wrote the best-selling novel, Angela’s Ashes, and his acerbic wit cuts through even the direst of the history lessons. You don’t need to be Irish or even like Irish music to thoroughly enjoy this history lesson/Irish music celebration, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. For tickets and information, go to: http://www.greaterbostonstage.org/
