{"id":16597,"date":"2015-03-04T19:20:59","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T03:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=16597"},"modified":"2015-03-04T19:22:38","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T03:22:38","slug":"shining-city-at-main-stage-west-sebastopol-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/shining-city-at-main-stage-west-sebastopol-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"Shining City at Main Stage West, Sebastopol CA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Members, San Francisco Bay Are Theatre Critics Circle<\/em><\/p>\n

Photos courtesy of Main Stage West<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

John Craven, Nick Sholley<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Ghosts of the Soul<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Modern Irish playwright Conor McPherson<\/strong> is known for crafting stories with elements of the paranormal. His 2004 play \u201cShining City\u201d was first performed in London\u2019s West End and saw its Broadway debut in 2006. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.<\/p>\n

This is a ghost story that\u2019s about more than just floating bits of protoplasm. It\u2019s about haunted people who carry their ghosts around with them. The tale unrolls like an interesting fabric with frayed edges purposely left undone. Set in contemporary Dublin, \u201cShining City\u201d is spooky drama leavened with wry humor. Taking place entirely in a dingy therapist\u2019s office, it was written to flow seamlessly over five scenes without intermission. At Main Stage West, there is one, and the dynamics remain intact.<\/p>\n

The play opens with John (John Craven<\/strong>) arriving at the appointed time. He is jittery and jumpy, as if wired to an electric current. His wife died in a car crash a few months back, and now he\u2019s seeing her spirit in the house they shared. Positive he\u2019s coming unhinged by grief and guilt over his past failures as a husband, he\u2019s visiting a therapist to unload. His therapist Ian (Nick Sholley<\/strong>), an ex-priest, has his own inner ghosts to exorcise. John is his very first patient, and he\u2019s unsure how to proceed. His relationship with his fianc\u00e9 Neasa (Ilana Niernberger<\/strong>) has hit a rocky patch. For mysterious reasons, he has estranged himself from her and their baby, and she shows up at the office later and demands to know why. Finally, an enigmatic drifter named Laurence (John Browning<\/strong>) appears, summoned by Ian for what he hopes will be a moment of self-discovery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ilana Niernberger, Nick Sholley<\/p><\/div>\n

The expressions \u201con your own\u201d, \u201con my own\u201d, \u201con her own\u201d are used over and over again. This suggests not independence, but loneliness and isolation, a sense of being alone in the company of others. \u201cFrightening\u201d is also repeated a number of times, as if to drive home the terror of aloneness. A number of cathartic monologues delivered by Craven are sheer, spellbinding magic.<\/p>\n

The dialogue flows very naturally including those long, awkward conversational gaps where the silence says more than the words ever could. All four performances, as an ensemble, are courageous, creative and spot-on. As the tormented John, Craven\u2019s unease is palpable. Sholley\u2019s Ian conveys the sense of a great listener, assured on the surface with turmoil just beneath. Niernberger gives a notable performance in showing Neasa\u2019s frantic attempt to understand Ian and salvage what\u2019s left of what they once had. And Browning is restrained and insightful as Laurence in his single, surprising scene with Sholley.<\/p>\n

Beth Craven\u2019s<\/strong> sensitive and perceptive direction lends just the right touch, enhancing the unique situation of each scene. \u201cShining City\u201d is quietly moving and provocative at the same time, with an eerie conclusion that raises more questions than it answers. More than just the story, the words pull you along, a mastery of wordcraft over stagecraft.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

John Browning, Nick Sholley<\/p><\/div>\n

When: Now through March 15, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

8:00 p.m Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5:00 p.m. Sundays<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Tickets $15 to $27 (Thursdays are \u201cpay what you will\u201d at the door only)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Where: Main Stage West<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>104 North Main Street<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Sebastopol, CA 95472<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>(707) 823-0177<\/strong><\/p>\n

www.mainstagewest.com<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo Members, San Francisco Bay Are Theatre Critics Circle Photos courtesy of Main Stage West Ghosts of the Soul Modern Irish playwright Conor McPherson is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-greg-suzanne-angeo","7":"category-uncategorized"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"