INTERVIEW: Yeats, Lady Gregory, Synge come into focus at Irish Rep
Photo: Clare O’Malley and Jennifer McVey star in Riders to the Sea, part of Three Small Irish Masterpieces at the Irish Repertory Theatre. Photo courtesy of Carol Rosegg / Provided by Matt Ross Public Relations with permission.
Throughout its acclaimed history, the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City is known for presenting the works of such luminaries as William Butler Yeats and John Millington Synge. Now theatergoers can get a taste of both playwrights, plus the words of Lady Augusta Gregory, in a new evening of plays called Three Small Irish Masterpieces.
The program consists of Yeats’ The Pot of Broth from 1905, Gregory’s The Rising of the Moon from 1907 and Synge’s Riders to the Sea from 1904. Charlotte Moore directs the evening of shows, which continues at the Manhattan venue through April 22.
Jennifer McVey plays Cathleen in Riders to the Sea, a drama about a family on the Aran Islands who have been devastated by personal loss. For the other plays, McVey is on stage with her fiddle offering musical interludes.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox spoke with McVey about her new theater role. Here’s what she had to say:
On how she became attached to the production …
“Well, I’ve known about the Irish Rep since I’ve been in New York, which is 10 years now, and I’ve auditioned for them a lot of times. And this is the first time they’ve hired me, so I’m very excited to be working with them.”
On her acting and fiddle playing throughout the night …
“I’m in Riders to the Sea playing Cathleen, but all of the actors are on stage for most of the time. So I come out at the top of the show, and I play some music. There’s singing, and I remain on stage the whole time until the last play, Riders to the Sea. And that’s the one I’m actually acting in.”
On what she likes about Riders to the Sea …
“It’s set on the Aran Islands at the turn of the last century, and it’s about a family. Cathleen is the eldest daughter. She has a younger sister, Norma, and her mother, and she has a lot of brothers, all of whom have been lost to the sea unfortunately. … The play’s about finding the remains of some clothes of another brother who has been lost to the sea for nine days, so these are people who live in harmony with the sea but also terrified of it as well on this remote island, about 30 miles from Ireland I think. So that’s basically what it’s about. It’s a tragedy. It’s a very moving piece.”
On learning about the communities on the Aran Islands …
“I’m actually Scottish. I’m from Glasgow originally, so Ireland is a very similar culture. But I’m not familiar with it 100 years ago on a remote island, but actually Synge wrote a book about his experiences of being on the Aran Islands, spent a couple summers there living among the people and really detailing his experiences of their life there. I believe it was so remote [that] the rest of Ireland didn’t really know much about their existence either, so he spent a lot of time there. So I did read that book in preparation for doing the show, and that was very helpful. But also the play itself is written so beautifully. It’s almost like poetry, and the words and the emotions just come very easily because of how exquisitely it’s written. It really is a masterpiece.”
On whether she was familiar with Synge’s work …
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of his work. Playboy of the Western World I’ve never seen. I’ve heard great things about it, so this is really my first experience with Synge. And I’d love to do more. It’s fantastic.”
On how the three plays come together …
“So far it’s really great to see everyone else perform their pieces, and the first two plays, The Pot of Broth and The Rising of the Moon, are very big broad comedies. So it’s wonderful to see that and then go into our play, which is so tragic. It doesn’t give you a lot of time for preparation, so it all just sort of happens. You get on stage, and it’s all over within an hour. It’s very fast. … I play the fiddle at some points, and in between each piece, at the beginning and in between each play.”
On her history with the fiddle …
“I’ve played it since I was a child. I’m not a professional musician by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve kept it up over the years. … I’ve been called upon to play at several plays that I’ve done. I’ve played it at a friend’s wedding, at certain social occasions. We have something called a Burns Night, which is a party for Robert Burns every year, that kind of thing, and it seems more and more actors are being required of being musicians as well. So it’s good to have that skill.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Three Small Irish Masterpieces is currently running through April 22 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
