Shining City: What haunts you?
Posted By: Aaron Van Gossen | April 16, 2010 | 1 comment
What haunts you? That is an apt question to ask yourself as you watch the final show of Theatre Exile’s 13th season Shining City by Conor McPherson. McPherson brings us two men, John (Scott Greer) and Ian (William Zielinski) who must confront that very question. John has recently lost his wife in a horrible accident, and he now sees her ghost in their home forcing him to not only seek shelter elsewhere but therapy as well. Ian, John’s therapist, has recently left not only the priesthood, but also his young girlfriend and their baby girl. Through a script, which is mostly a monologue by John, they confront their regrets and the choices they made. Eventually, they find a way through their guilt and figure how to move on.
Matt Pfeiffer, most recently seen in Hunter Gatherers at Exile directed this Tony award nominated script, emphasizing the sense of loneliness and isolation felt by these men. The set designed by Jorge Cousineau utilized the skyline of Dublin to bring home how, even in a city of millions, someone can feel totally secluded in regret and despair.
Shining City is a masterful look into the issues of loss, regret, loneliness and ultimately redemption by a modern master storyteller. Shining City runs through April 25th at Plays and Players Theatre at1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103. For tickets go to www.theatreexile.org. And hurry, this is a great show that’s sure to sell tickets fast.
One Response
Subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.