The Abbey Theatre in Dublin is about to host one of the year’s most sophisticated, albeit understated, events. The famed American actor, Steve Buscemi, known for roles in films such as Reservoir Dogs, The Sopranos and Fargo, will be joining the versatile Irish-American actor, Aidan Quinn, for a reading of Sam Shepard’s 2009 piece, ‘Ages of the Moon’. Not exactly a full production, the presentation radiates with plenty of wit and emotion.
The industry insiders have been eagerly watching out for high-profile American guests. Buscemi is in town to film season 2 of the Netflix series ‘Wednesday’, an inspiration from the Addams Family, and Tim Burton, its director and executive producer, makes an appearance too. Just moments before the show begins, there’s a stir as Jenna Ortega, leading actress from ‘Wednesday’, is spotted sitting next to Burton. They recently attended the Venice International Film Festival for the premiere of ‘Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice’ – a highly successful gothic sequel. From the shores of Lido to the lanes of Abbey Street, their journey continues.
This reading is a unique event under the Abbey’s ‘Love at First Sight’ season. The theatre’s artistic director, Caitríona McLaughlin, has conceived an innovative concept where renowned actors pick characters they’ve always wished to portray and a cast is assembled to read that selected play. With minimal rehearsals and absence of a devoted sets, it’s a unique experience. The season started with Fiona Shaw performing a reading of Stefano Massini’s ‘7 Minutes’. For this particular event, Quinn opted for Shepard’s dual character play and suggested it to Buscemi, who confirmed his participation just a week ago.
Now, the anticipation is palpable as the readers prepare to deliver an unforgettable experience. It’s an instance of theatrical magic, a treasured escape from the gloom and strife that pervades everyday life.
McLaughlin explains their long-standing friendship with Aidan and the fact that Steve was shooting a film nearby. It was agreed that Steve would participate in the project from the beginning, but this couldn’t be confirmed until he received a schedule from the film producers. Even though they were confident that Steve would participate, they couldn’t disclose his involvement due to possible schedule changes that might force them to find a replacement at the last moment.
It is indeed a profound experience to revive a play that had its world premiere at the same venue. Seán McGinley and Stephen Rea, the original actors, took that production to New York, where Quinn first saw it. McLaughlin recalls how Quinn’s memorable experience in New York had left a lasting impression of the Abbey theatre’s influence on him. This influence in shaping people’s imagination is what they aspire to.
Ages of the Moon is perfectly suited for this kind of revival. The setting is a domestic porch with two chairs where Quinn and Buscemi sit as the play begins. One of three shelves from Colin Richmond’s stage design for Lady Gregory’s play, Grania, reinvents itself as the porch in their current production. The stagecraft also efficiently incorporates reeds into the scenery.
The plot follows a familiar narrative of two squabbling male characters, a tradition that can be traced back to Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, and David Mamet’s American Buffalo. The character Ames (Quinn) seems to be having marital problems and has called up his old friend Byron (Buscemi) for a chat, alcohol, and possibly to watch the moon eclipse.
Unsurprisingly, in narratives like these, the reliability of stories and the interpretation of motives are often ambiguous. The audience is left wondering whether Ames genuinely bumped into the writer Roger Miller during his honeymoon, or if Byron’s appearance was meant to stir chaos.
The enthralling game, amusing in its complexity, doesn’t overstay its greeting. It’s truly intriguing how Buscemi and Quinn, despite minimal preparation, demonstrate a profound understanding of their text and characters. They presumably utilise various theatrical strategies for this – Buscemi, for instance, uses faltering vowels as a cue for word search – yet, a desire remains for the full presentation that this exercise could yield. It remains uncertain as to what the upcoming reading in Love at First Sight will entail.
The main challenge, as expressed by McLaughlin, is the clashing schedules of the individuals they reach out to. They might be occupied with a movie or a television series, necessitating a wait until they share their availability before committing. It appears Jenna Ortega had quite a delightful experience.