Crowded Kitchen Players’ powerful and devastating "An Explosion by the Ballyseedy Woods" takes a hard-eyed look at the Irish Civil War of 1922 and its long-lasting effects on the Irish people.
The third play in Ara Barlieb’s trilogy about the Irish War of Independence from Great Britain and its aftermath is on stage through March 16 at the Charles A. Brown Ice House, 56 St., Bethlehem.
"An Explosion by the Ballyseedy Woods" was preceded by Barlieb’s "The Rising" in 2023 and "The Anglo-Irish War for Independence" in 2024.
Opening the play, actor Fiona Sweeney talks about her grandfather, Peter Paul Galligan, who was a survivor of The Rising, and later elected as a member of Sinn Fein's parliament, adding a personal note to the grim story.
The story follows barrister Patrick Costello, portrayed with raw world-weariness by David Oswald, who reviews military service pension applications for survivors of the conflict.
Oswald’s Costello clings to his stoic sense of duty as he faces horrific stories from pitiful applicants, most of whom he will deny due to narrowly defined pension eligibility requirements.
Oswald keeps Costello’s frustration and anger bubbling below the surface, only to let it erupt when the questions of an American tourist force him to face his past.
Trish Cipoletti is fiery and passionate as Mrs. DunCannon, Costello’s secretary who advocates for the applicants, a sharp contrast to Costello’s dispassionate acceptance of the horrible human price to the pension’s unfair rules.
Barlieb’s simple but effective set goes back and forth between Costello’s office and Madigan’s Pub in Dublin’s Four Corners of Hell, where Costello gets his daily tea and listens to the mostly jovial rantings of the pub customers.
The pub, run by Madigan, portrayed as decent and upright by Dan Ferry, attracts a boisterous crowd played with energy and enthusiasm by Robert Tollinger, Dan VanArsdale, and Robert Torres (filling in for an ailing Bruce Brown.)
Aidan King’s affable American tourist is cocky and curious about the Irish conflict, ultimately pushing the other men to confront some of the more painful memories, including the occupation of the Four Courts, the killing of Repuclican leader Michael Collins and the titular massacre at which nine Republican prisoners were tied to a land mine which was detonated.
In his office, Costello faces petitions from four women, all of whom are based on real people.
Sharon Ferry is fervent and heartfelt as Brigid Mahoney, who lost a husband and son but is denied a military pension for her three younger children because her village priest writes the authorities a letter claiming she drinks.
Denise Shelton conveys the poignant desperation of Mrs. Greehy, who is denied a pension because there is a question whether her son, who was killed in action, was legitimate
.Fiona Galligan Sweeney portrays the raw pain of Kathleen O'Brien, whose daughter was raped by soldiers, and she was forced to give her grandson to a deceptive adoption agency.\
Pamela McLean Wallace is memorable and somber as Margaret Skinnider, a tough woman who fought alongside the men during The Rising, losing her leg in the process, but is denied a pension because she fought on the side that lost.Barlieb, who also directs, skillfully weaves all these characters together for an engaging, but sobering evening of theater.
Between each scene, talented musician Joey Mutis III of the band The Electric Farm, performs traditional songs, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Mutis’ evocative voice resonates on songs including “The Auld Triangle,” “Darby O’Leary,” “'Dublin in My Tears,” “The Soldiers of ‘22,” “The Castle of Drumboe” and “The Parting Glass,” for a haunting effect that adds to the narrative.
Tickets are $20.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. March 14 and 15; and 2 p.m. March 16.
For information, call 610-704-6974, or go to www.ckplayers.com
