A Moon For the Misbegotten – Gaiety Theatre – Review
by Frank L.

A Moon For the Misbegotten – Druid Theatre Production 
Dates: 1st Oct. – 4th Oct.

The play is set in rural Connecticut during Prohibition and spans a twenty-four-hour period in the life of the Hogan family, who are small tenant farmers. It begins with the last of Phil Hogan’s sons, the ineffectual Mike (Cathal Ryan), leaving the family home. The household then consists of Phil Hogan (Lorcan Cranitch) and his formidable daughter, Josie (Eileen Walsh). Phil’s landlord is James Tyrone Jr (Marty Rea), who is not only his landlord but also his drinking companion. Within this trio of Josie, Phil and James, it is Josie’s powerful personality that dominates as she negotiates her complicated relationship with James.

O’Neill takes his time revealing the strengths and weaknesses, the fictions and the facts, surrounding Josie and James. Everything takes place within an Irish-American culture in which land, alcohol, intrigue and an uneasy relationship with sexuality intermingle to create a potent cocktail.

The set depicts an impoverished homestead situated in a boulder-strewn landscape. A utilitarian windmill can be seen in the distance, while more prominent in the foreground are the remnants of a farm cart, its two wheels now redundant. The interior of the dwelling is delineated by an upright door and window frame. Everything is basic and frugal. The irregularly shaped back wall is covered by a magnified Ordnance Survey map of Donegal, picking up on the stage direction that describes Josie as having “the map of Ireland stamped on her face”.

The play is divided into four acts and lasts almost three hours. During that time, Josie is on stage for almost the entire production. It is an extraordinarily demanding role, and Walsh remains in command throughout as she negotiates the hand that life has dealt her, her relationship with her father Phil, and her increasingly complex relationship with James.

It is in the third act that the full extent and complexity of Josie and James’s relationship is explored. Rea and Walsh allow their characters’ frailties and strengths to intertwine and seethe beneath the surface. The revelations take time to unfold. The text is richly revealing, although there are elements of repetition as more of their intimate histories and long-held secrets emerge. By the final act, Walsh is once again central. She is not entirely alone, as Phil remains around her, but there is now space for Josie to reflect on everything that has happened.

Cranitch, as Phil, has his strongest presence in the first act, and he is splendid as the hard-drinking, ageing farmer and head of the household. O’Neill has drawn Phil from the familiar stock of Irish-American stage characters, with their tendency towards buffoonery and irascibility, but Cranitch masterfully keeps him within the bounds of credibility. Josie and James, despite the stereotypical associations of hard drinking with Irish identity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, emerge as three-dimensional characters, particularly as the third act begins to peel back their layers. They have their dreams. They have their secrets. They also have alcohol.

This is not an easy play, but the quality of the acting, particularly Walsh’s performance as Josie, makes it a compelling theatrical event. As always, there is value in seeing a play from the recent past performed with such seriousness and expertise. O’Neill’s use of the word “misbegotten” in the title is inspired. It captures something fundamental about these characters: their thwarted ambitions, their complicated loyalties and the sense that, despite everything they do to shape their own lives, they remain trapped by circumstances largely beyond their control.

CAST –
Josie Hogan – Eileen Walsh
Mike Hogan – Cathal Ryan
Phil Hogan – Lorcan Cranitch
James Tyrone Jr – Marty Rea ±
T Stedman Harder – Rory Nolan ±

Director Garry Hynes
Set & Costume Design Francis O’Connor
Lighting Design James F. Ingalls
Sound Design Gregory Clarke
Composer Conor Linehan
Casting Director Amy Rowan