Paddywack

By MARKLAND TAYLOR

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NEW HAVEN A Long Wharf Theater presentation, in association with Flamin' Eejits, of a play in two acts by Daniel Magee. Directed by John Tillinger.
 
Colin ... Alessandro Nivola
Brian ... Denis O'Hare Michael ... Michael O'Hagan
Mrs. Somers ... Patricia Kilgarriff
Damien ... James Nesbitt
Annette ... Sarah Long
 

Without any ado, Belfast playwright Daniel Magee plunges headlong into racial bigotry in a working-class boardinghouse in present-day London in "Paddywack," the first play of histo be seen in London and, now, the U.S. By its physically violent (and unsatisfying) ending, in which a Paddy is brutally wacked by two Englishmen and an anti-Irish Irishman, it's possible to wish that Magee were more of a playwright and less of a didactic lecturer whose background includes political activism and being "repeatedly interned by the Belfast authorities as a known sympathizer of Sinn Fein."

Clearly "Paddywack" has autobiographical elements even if Magee has changed its central Irish character's name from Daniel to Damien (James Nesbitt). And this may explain why Damien, who has just arrived in London from Ireland and taken the last space in the boarding house's four-bed bedroom, is the play's only fully developed character. The others tend to be cardboard cliches, particularly "nice" middle-class twit Colin (Alessandro Nivola) and his girlfriend, Annette (Sarah Long).

It also helps explain why Nesbitt, coming from the play's original London production early this year, gives the one strong, telling performance. With the exception of Patricia Kilgarriff as the landlady and, to an extent, Michael O'Hagan (also from the London production) as the anti-Irish Irishman Michael (never Mick!), the rest of the cast leaves a lot to be desired.

John Tillinger's direction concentrates more on hammering home laughs than on building tension, suggesting that this fine director is going through a fallow patch. And James Youmans' set, though it allows the play to move swiftly from boardinghouse bedroom and kitchen to pub and Annette's digs, has too little atmosphere of its own, an overhead montage of photographs and headlines of the Irish "troubles" going for naught.

The play makes no bones about revealing the scarcely hidden bigotry and hatred beneath the genteel veneer of certain English (and Irish) men, adding the idea that we often base our opinions of others on ignorance, believing what we wish to believe about them. And so it is that Damien's fellow boarders Colin, Cockney Brian and 50-year-old Michael, along with Annette, decide that Damien is an IRA terrorist rather than what he says he is, a dispatch clerk.

But Damien has an overdeveloped sense of irony and humor that's too sophisticated for the others. By joshing them and going along with their fantasies about him, he ultimately brings about his own downfall, a severe beating hastened by would-be political journalist Annette, who persuades herself that she loves Damien when she's really only romantically fascinated by the idea that he's a terrorist.

Damien is written and acted a mite too sophisticated and aware, and the others a mite too dim, for the central situation to be believable.

The play, written about five years ago, has begun to date, in part because of the current IRA cease-fire and the recognition of Sinn Fein. There's also a mention of the late British comedian Benny Hill as if he's still alive.

Magee lists Irish playwright Tom Murphy as one of the writers he particularly admires, and "Paddywack" does bring to mind Murphy's 1961 "A Whistle in the Dark ," which was given its U.S. premiere by the Long Wharf in 1967-68 and became its first New York transfer. It's doubtful that "Paddywack" will be so lucky.

Set, James Youmans; costumes, Candice Donnelly; lighting, Ken Billington; production stage manager, Arthur Gaffin; casting, Deborah Brown and Susan Shopmaker; dialect consultant, Barbara Somerville; fights, Michael Giansanti; scenic artist , Keith Hyatte. Artistic director, Arvin Brown; executive director, M. Edgar Rosenblum. Opened, reviewed Oct. 5, 1994, at the Long Wharf Theater/Newton Schenck Stage; 487 seats; $ 36 top. Running time: 2 HOURS, 15 MIN.