Milwaukee Chamber’s ‘Moon for the Misbegotten’ Takes a Lighter Approach with O’Neill’s Drama

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Photo by Samer Ghani

James Pickering in Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten’

James Pickering in Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten’

The venerable Milwaukee Chamber Theatre continues its current season with a 180-degree turn from its earlier offering, the hit holiday production of Liberace! That glitzy production featured an amazing Brett Ryback in the role of Milwaukee’s favorite son, Liberace. It was filled with over-the-top Hollywood glitter that accompanied the famous performer throughout his life.

In a captivating attempt to showcase the company’s artistic range, MCT now offers A Moon for the Misbegotten by famed playwright Eugene O’Neill. About as far from the glamour of Las Vegas and Hollywood as one could get, this play focuses on a dirt-poor Irish farmer and his family who eke out a living on their rental farm. A Moon for the Misbegotten opened last weekend at the Broadway Theatre Center and continues through February 4.

While Liberace! may have taken theatergoers to the heights of theatrical showmanship, the current O’Neill production offers something more—the power to change lives. 

In viewing the excellence of his work, it’s no wonder that O’Neill was a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and a Nobel Laureate. A Moon for the Misbegotten, his final play (he was in failing health at the time), never made it to Broadway in his lifetime. In addition to its original 1957 Broadway production, A Moon for the Misbegotten has been revived on Broadway four times. Some of theater’s finest actors have filled these roles, from Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards (considered the penultimate O’Neill interpreters of their day), Cherry Jones, Gabriel Byrne, Roy Dotrice and Kate Nelligan. Kevin Spacey starred in a West End production of the play.

A Moon for the Misbegotten is considered one of O’Neill’s autobiographical plays and serves as a sequel of sorts to his most famous work, A Long Day’s Journey into Night. Considered one of the great plays of the 20th century, A Moon for the Misbegotten is mostly about love and loss, but it is peppered with incidents of self-loathing, guilt, medicating oneself against pain and self-fulfilling prophecies. 

Although both plays contain some humorous elements, they are more easily mined in Moon. 

Director Mary MacDonald Kerr, herself one of the most versatile actors in town, is once again as effective offstage as on. She keeps the laughter flowing as much as possible. This lightens the entire play, with the exception of some demanding scenes near the drama’s end.

In helping her achieve her goals, she fortunately has a dream cast to work with. For instance: After seeing this production, one cannot imagine another local actor who could capture the emotional range of main character Phil Hogan better than James Pickering.

Pickering Employs a Lifetime of Onstage Experience to Portray the Father 

Pickering infuses every gesture, every grimace, every wobbly step of this usually inebriated man to its fullest. Widowed at an early age when his wife died while birthing their fourth child, Phil (Pickering) has become physically battered by his alcoholism and a lifetime of farm chores. Eventually, his sour temper causes all three of his sons to run off. The final departure of his youngest, Mike Hogan (played with innocence and some moralizing by AJ Magoon), is one of the play’s opening events. Mike’s older sister, Josie (Kelly Doherty), has gathered provisions and some cash for Mike, much the same as she did years before with Mike’s older brothers. Despite some good-natured taunts between the siblings, the final farewell between Mike and Josie is a memorable, poignant moment.

Phil is a schemer and a conniver who won’t stop his shady dealings even when they include his only daughter. Josie, whip-smart, sturdily built and strong enough to do a man’s work around the farm, is somewhat of an enigma. She can be hard as nails one minute, and eager-to-please in the next. Doherty does a masterful job in displaying both sides of her character, especially in scenes involving James Tyrone Jr. (La Shawn Banks), a younger man she loves. 

As the play continues, multiple characters come and go. However, it is up to the actors who portray Phil and Josie Hogan to dominate the dramatic narrative, even when they are offstage. Pickering and Doherty do a beautiful job in this capacity.

By the end of the play, Phil and Josie’s bickering, insults and name-calling seem less shocking. They may even comprise a private language between them. Still, parents should note that the play contains an abundance of adult language which may or may not be suitable for young ears.

James Tyrone Character Is a Study in Contradictions

The James Tyrone character, modeled after O’Neill’s older brother, is definitely a study in contradictions. He is financially successful to the extent that he holds the lease on the Hogan farm, and his future will include a large inheritance. He’s a sometimes actor who tries to impress the Hogans by reciting Latin and quoting Shakespeare. Yet James is filled with guilt at his actions following his mother’s death. He lives a life filled with remorse, self-loathing and lost opportunity. Not surprisingly, James is also a big drinker. As James, actor La Shawn Banks impressively covers every nuance of this multi-faceted character.

At one point, Phil professes a deep fondness for James that even surpasses the feelings he has for his sons. Josie, too, has a soft spot for James. However, she fears that once James gets a whiff of her sordid reputation, she will lose him forever. It doesn’t help her self-esteem that her father often refers to her as an “overgrown cow.” 

One of the play’s truly funny scenes involves a visit by one of the Hogan’s neighbors, T. Steadman Harder. Apparently, he became rich by “selling out” to Standard Oil. Actor Zach Thomas Woods is delicious as the snobbish Harder. He arrives at the Hogan farm on horseback. Dressed in riding gear, he is teased endlessly by Phil about his “jockey outfit.” Harder gets angrier and angrier at Phil’s attempts to put him in his place, until he can no longer take such bullying. When Harder departs, Phil and Josie share a good laugh at their ability to put one over on his holier-than-thou attitude.

Moon takes place on a rustically beautiful set (by Lisa Schlenker). It is dominated by a large rock, which serves variously as a chair and a small table. Standing nearby is the ramshackle façade of a wood cabin where the Hogans live. It’s clear the Hogans have few of the basic necessities, even in the 1920s (the time period in which the play takes place). The set is beautifully illuminated by Noele Stollmack, who concludes her work with a vivid sunrise. Co-sound designers Martilla Marechal and Mike Van Dresser coordinate original compositions by Josh Schmidt (although most of the nighttime scenes are dominated by the sound of chirping crickets). Various costumes, which range from rustic and rugged to more tailored attire, are by Trinae Williams-Henning. Dialect coach Raeleen McMillon deserves credit for getting realistic Irish accents from James Pickering, Kelly Doherty and AJ Magoon. (The other two characters have abandoned their accents, apparently to boost their self-importance.) 

Milwaukee theatergoers who are intrigued by a thought-provoking drama performed by a top-notch local cast should not delay in getting tickets to MCT’s A Moon for the Misbegotten.

A Moon for the Misbegotten runs through February 4 in the Studio Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center. For tickets, visit milwaukeechambertheatre.org or call the box office at 414-291-7800.