'The Plough and the Stars': History that's not easy to take

Sean O'Casey is an iconic figure in Irish drama, and his trilogy about the Dublin of the 1920s - The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, and The Plough and the Stars - features his most famous plays. The last of the three is the new production of the Irish Heritage Theatre (a coproduction with Plays and Players), commemorating the 100th anniversary of what is known as the Easter Rising, a failed attempt to free Ireland from British rule. All, set in Dublin slums, provoked riots when they were premiered at the Abbey Theatre.

Well, if I were Irish, I'd be mad, too (although not for the same prudish, self-righteous reasons they were). The Plough and the Stars is a bitter satire, focusing on the tenement dwellers who, when they weren't hiding from the revolution instead of fighting, were looting stores. They are a bunch of nasty, dimwit drunks whose talk - just about all of Act One - is all "malice and spite." This becomes tedious to listen to, especially because the accents are thick, the delivery weirdly recitative, and the references to places and events obscure. Their collective opinion seems to be that "freedom wouldn't be worth winning in a raffle."

The one character who seems a likely candidate for Our Hero has, in fact, quite a small role and seems more concerned with his reputation and public appearances than anything like patriotism or honor. He stands arguing with his wife while his friend who has been shot nearly bleeds to death. His wife goes mad, unable to tolerate the worry over his safety, while the neighbor gets involved in a barroom brawl with another woman and leaves her infant behind on the floor.

Under Peggy Mecham's direction, there are many long pauses while scenery is moved, although the set - a minimalist structure of red-painted planks - is hard to read and gives little clue as to where these people are. The video projections on the back wall (Alexis Mayer) are visually unintelligible.

The ensemble includes Harry Watermeier, Victoria Rose Bonito, John Schultz, John Cannon, Kevin Rodden, Mary Pat Walsh, Michelle Pauls, Barabaraluz Orlanda, Dexter Anderson, Ian Agnew, Kyra Baker, Cris Welti, Jimmy Guckin, Eric Dann, Mark B. Knight, Carlos Forbes, and David Kuong.

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