In ‘Dancing at Lughnasa,’ the Women Lead

A radio starts and stops fitfully throughout “Dancing at Lughnasa,” at the North Coast Repertory Theatre through May 25. For the five Mundy sisters in Brian Friel’s drama, happiness is as elusive as the music.

Like “The Glass Menagerie,” this is an affecting memory play, with a male narrator--the son of one of the sisters--who tells the story of women trapped in a world of illusions and limited prospects, bound by love but sensing that their tenuous hold on solvency is getting more frayed every day.

Since its debut in Dublin in 1990, the Tony-Award winning “Lughnasa” has proven popular at such regional theaters as South Coast Repertory and the Old Globe. Not bad for a story heartbreaking in the extreme.

North Coast, now heading into its 15th year in Solana Beach (about 30 minutes south of the Orange County line on Interstate 5), continues to amaze with its aptitude for complex work such as this. Under the guidance of founder and artistic director Olive Blakistone, the cozy, 194-seat non-Equity theater segues admirably from amusing comedies to challenging dramas, blending the work of veteran local performers with talented newcomers.

Under Blakistone’s skillful direction, the actors deliver multilayered performances, although in this production the women overshadow most of the men. Pat DiMeo anchors the show as Kate, the tight-lipped, sensible sister who dominates and controls the family out of desperation to see it survive. Carmen Beaubeaux is marvelous as Maggie, an earthy breath of fresh air, subtly masking her own private sadness as she tries by sheer force of will to breathe life into everyone around her.

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Gina Torrecilla plays the frustrated, yearning Chris, the unwed mother of narrator Michael (Don Loper). Michael is telling us about August of 1936, when he was 7, and while he brings a nice ironic detachment to his lines, Loper lacks the depth of anguish of a grown man looking back. John Steed acquits himself well as Gerry, Michael’s elusive but charming father, who comes by once a year to charm Chris and to promise his son a bike.

Susan Clausen speaks volumes with Agnes’ few lines, conveying mountains of repressed longing as she gazes on a man she cannot have. Only Tom Kilroy as Jack, the women’s adored brother, seems miscast, acting more like their father and frail where we should see at least glimpses of vigor, passion and joy.

Judy Watson’s costumes tell their own heart-rending story, with heavy coarse fabrics and worn shoes that look as if they’ve trudged miles of unforgiving land. Marty Burnett’s set, an old kitchen of stone and wood with a garden and wheat fields, extends the melancholy mood.

The title “Dancing at Lughnasa” is poignant in that dancing at the Lughnasa festival is something these women never get to do. The first act ends with a spontaneous spirited dance as that radio unexpectedly summons up a burst of Irish music. But these Cinderellas never do meet up with the fairy godmothers who will send them to the ball.

There are no magic wands. Instead we have a celebration of moments--a salute to life and a reminder that no matter how bitter life seems to be, the best times are always when the people you love are all together. Hold fast to those times, the play seems to say, because irreparable loss may be just around the corner.

* “Dancing at Lughnasa,” North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends May 25. $14-$16. (619) 481-1055 or toll free: (888) 776-NCRT. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

Don Loper: Michael

Gina Torrecilla: Chris

Carmen Beaubeaux: Maggie

Susan Clausen: Agnes

Melissa Supera: Rose

Pat DiMeo: Kate

John Steed: Gerry

Tom Kilroy: Jack

A North Coast Repertory Theatre production of a play by Brian Friel, directed by Olive Blakistone. Sets: Marty Burnett. Costumes: Judy Watson. Lights: Richard Fellner. Sound: Michael Shapiro. Stage manager: Lesley Fitzpatrick.