Judging from thecast, this should be a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the theater. Lee Ernstplays Sharky, an alcoholic who has moved to a suburb of Dublin to live with his blind brother Richard(played by James Pickering). The fact that Richard became blind after fallinginto a Dumpster on Halloween tells you a lot about the playthe story involvesa great deal of drinking.%uFFFD
Also present isRichard’s drunken friend Ivan (Christopher Tarjan), who, having lost hisglasses, has similar problems with sight. It may not be the best way to startChristmas Eve, but there is little time to worry about it since a gentlemannamed Nicky (Jonathan Gillard Daly) and his friend Mr. Lockhart (JonathanSmoots) are coming over for the annual Christmas Eve poker game.
The overallconcept of the playa group of men playing cards with the devilis nothing new.There was even a mid-1980s episode of “The Twilight Zone” built around thatidea. What makes McPherson’s story unique is its distinct mix of having peoplereach through the twisted darkness of inebriation to cast light into theirsouls.
Irish director BenBarnes helms the production. With a cast this good, he should be able to addremarkable depth to the darker corners of the play. This isn’t just a group oftalented professional actors: Many in the ensemble have worked together over agreat number of years, so there’s already a rapport that will serve the moreintricate parts of the drama very well.
The impressive andtalented Todd Rosenthal, a Tony Award-winning, Chicago-based scenic designer,created Richard’s home for this show.
The MilwaukeeRep’s production of The Seafarer runsthrough March 7.
