Theater review by Raven Snook
The subjectivity of truth is the smoldering core of Nancy Harris's The Beacon. On a remote Irish isle off West Cork, Beiv (Kate Mulgrew)—a fiery feminist artist infamous for possibly killing her ex-husband—reunites with her prodigal son: Colm (Zach Appelman), a software engineer who fled to California years earlier. He's brought some serious emotional baggage along with his young new bride, Bonnie (Ayana Workman), a garrulous college dropout who is interested in art history and psychology. The drama intensifies with the arrival of Colm's erstwhile townie pal, Donal (Sean Bell), who's helping Beiv transform her old cottage into a modern glass box.
This stormy setup is echoed in Colm McNally's and Liam Bellman-Sharpe's stellar set and sound design; waves crashing audibly against the shore as these four desperate souls smash into each other. Mulgrew is sensational as Beiv, a battle-axe and self-described "ferociously selfish mother," who places her bohemian urges above all else but is more vulnerable than she appears. Longing for a traditional life, Appelman's stoic Colm is in denial about his own desires, which makes deluded Bonnie an ideal spouse. Only Donal, an achingly sympathetic Bell, knows who he is and what he wants—even if he can't have it.
The Beacon | Photograph: Courtesy Carol Rosegg
The Beacon is a slow burn as its characters parse their intertwined pasts, and director Marc Atkinson Borrull's pacing is deliberately unhurried, allowing them to breathe and not just bicker. Harris threads the first half with herrings as red as Beiv's latest painting, a fireball in which Bonnie sees female rage and Colm sees "splodges"—the artist claims it's a blood orange—and veers off course a bit in Act II with a hard-to-swallow subplot involving Bonnie and a stranger (David Mattar Merten). But it rights itself by the end. For all the loaded dialogue, some of the most potent moments are silent—as when Beiv meticulously sets the table for a fraught and fateful dinner, and in her quiet breakdown once it's over. Even after all is revealed, the truth may not set anyone free.
The Beacon. Irish Repertory Theatre (Off Broadway). By Nancy Harris. Directed by Marc Atkinson Borrull. With Kate Mulgrew, Zach Appelman, Sean Bell, Ayana Workman, David Mattar Merten. Running time: 2hrs 30mins. One intermission.
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The Beacon | Photograph: Courtesy Carol Rosegg
