Theater Review: "Dancing at Lughnasa" at Pomperaug High School

Pomperaug Theatre Company is presenting a student-directed production of the play "Dancing at Lughnasa." Jimmy Hunter carefully directed the Pomperaug students, with the assistance of freshman student Addison Evans, who is working on a Pomperaug production for the first time. Madge O’Toole guided the production team as their faculty advisor.

The director has been part of the Pomperaug Theatre Company since their freshman year, portraying the Scarecrow in the production of “The Wizard of Oz.” This talented actor played the role of Thenardier in “Les Miserables” with Landmark Community Theatre, and I also got to see them as Rudolpho in “Matilda” and Crutchie in “Disney’s Newsies” with NewArts. Hunter will be choreographing the spring musical this year.

Hunter includes a thank you to O’Toole in the Director’s Note in the printed program. “I want to thank the incredible Madge O’Toole. She has somehow delegated this immense to me, with all the compassion that I’ve come to know through the last four years. Of all the memories I’ll keep of my time here, her remarkability as a teacher and as a human being may very well be the strongest.”

“Dancing at Lughnasa” is a 1990 play written by dramatist Brian Friel set in the north of Ireland in August of 1936. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator, who recounts the summer in his aunts' cottage when he was seven years old.

The play is loosely based on the lives of Friel's mother and aunts who lived in Ireland. In the late summer days when love briefly seems possible for five of the Mundy sisters and the family welcomes home the frail elder brother, Jack. However, as the summer ends, the family foresees the sadness and economic difficulties that they will suffer as all hope fades and their dancing stops.

The scenes take place in early August, around the festival of Lughnasah, the Celtic harvest festival. The play describes a bitter harvest for the Mundy sisters, a time of reaping what has been sown.

Chloe D’Amato plays the Boy Michael in her first production with Pomperaug, and senior Aidan Kelly both narrates and watches the story unfold in the role of the grown up Michael.

Senior Gwen Kavanaugh effectively plays the quiet sister Agnes, in her seventh PTC show. She is also part of the Chamber Choir at Pomperaug.

Maille Kimble, who was a cast member in “Hound of the Baskervilles,” and “The Wizard of Oz,” plays Christina, making the most of her role as the youngest sister and the mother of Michael.

Maddie Parrella (“Much Ado About Nothing,” Victoria in “Hound of the Baskervilles, The Wicked Witch in “Wizard of Oz”) plays the responsible eldest sister Kate Mundry, a schoolteacher who is a devout Catholic.

Sophomore Alice Sugden (“Baskervilles,” “The Wizard of Oz”) embraces her role of the sister Rose, who is 32, but behaves much younger than her years, due to a developmental disability.

Julia Vela, a junior, is the loudest sister, Maggie, performing with PTC for the first time. She has a great stage presence in her role.

Junior Kyler Kumi, who participated in “Newsies” with NewArts as Romeo, quietly plays the role of the sisters’ brother Father Jack, the “leper priest,” who has returned from work as a missionary in Africa.

Kalman Zold plays the biological father of Michael, the charming Gerry Evans, in his second production at Pomperaug. Zold has the correct amount of charm and flim flam in his performance.

Nicholas Napoli served as the tech director. There were sound issues during the dress rehearsal, coupled with the Irish accents, that caused me to miss some of the dialogue. I am sure these will be fixed.

Kayleigh Ecsedy, a senior at Pomperaug who has worked in multiple productions, is the busy Stage Manager. Caelin Walsh, the costume designer, worked with a crew of four. Rowan Vas is the credited Paint Head, Amelia Eager and senior Jaiden Carter were the Construction Heads, Eli Hornberger is the Lights Head, Colton Lorensen is Sound Head, Hannah Ali was the Hair and Makeup Designer and Tesu Beavers was the Props Designer.

There is a wonderful backstage video that is shown before the performance begins and all of the crew members come out for the curtain call to be recognized. “Dancing at Lughnasa” is presented at Pomperaug on Fri. Dec 2nd 2022, 7:00 pm, Sat. Dec 3rd 2022, 7:00 pm and Sun. Dec 4th 2022, 2:00 pm.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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