When you name your one-man show after a mythological Irish hero, you’re setting the bar pretty high. Unfortunately for
Cuchullain, now playing at the Keegan Theatre, the scattered action in Irish playwright
Rosemary Jenkinson’s world premiere production
never quite lives up to its lofty namesake. According to lore, the
legendary Cuchullain (pronounced
koo-KULL-in) single-handedly defended Ulster against the
Queen’s armies in the Cattle Raid of Cooley at the tender age of
17. Here, another Irish teen takes on the obstacles in his
world on his own, only instead of mythic warriors, the demons Aaron
(Josh Sticklin) faces in modern Belfast include vengeful drug dealers, the welfare system, political adversaries, and overprotective mothers.
A one-man show is always a tough act to pull off, and while this material and structure fall short, it’s not for lack of effort
on Sticklin’s part. The bright-eyed actor, who also teamed up with director
Abigail Isaac and the Keegan artistic team in last year’s
Basra Boy (also by Jenkinson), never seems to tire in
his uninterrupted 80 minutes on stage. With a crown of wild, spiky locks
and
palpable energy to spare, Sticklin certainly looks the part of a
foul-mouthed, morally questionable 19-year-old hoodlum wreaking
havoc on the city streets. The actor embraces the role with
fervor (though for a character that spends much of his time on
stage snorting powder, swigging booze, and popping pills—or
talking about it—Sticklin could stand to brush up on his intoxicated
affect; his behavior reads hyper, not high).
Yet for all of Sticklin’s admirable efforts, it’s still
difficult to feel invested in his character. Peppered with Irish slang,
the play is hard enough to follow (audience members receive a
much-needed glossary print-out upon entering the theater, but
continually having to reference a cheat sheet in order to
understand what’s being said onstage gets to be more than a little
distracting), so when the storyline lacks a distinctive arc or
focus, any impulse to connect with Aaron and his life feels
diluted. The action loosely follows his lawless exploits—an
uncomfortable sexual encounter with an underage girl at a house
party, feigning insanity to collect disability payments from
the Welfare Bureau—but the reasons for including each experience
in the story and what we are meant to learn from them remain
hazy. And it doesn’t help that the script constantly has Sticklin
acting out voices and imitations of the other people in his
life. Rather than adding depth and layers, it comes off as irritating
and borderline schizophrenic.
Political undertones never quite come to fruition,
either. References to the conflicts between the “Mickies” and the
Loyalists
(Aaron’s side) and even a scene that involves flag stealing
don’t seem to lead anywhere other than providing a snapshot of
the tense political climate in the city, which seems like a
missed opportunity. Like issues raised throughout the rest of
the production, not only does the topic lack resolution, it
lacks the opportunity to even address the questions that might
lead to it. Maybe that’s what they were going for, but as a
theatergoer, the pattern was unsatisfying to say the least. For
a production inspired in part by mythology, it’s hardly the
stuff of legend.
Cuchullain
is at the Church Street Theater through July 1. Running time is 80 minutes with no intermission. Tickets ($20 to $25) are
available via Keegan Theatre’s website.
