Berkshires arts reviews

October 5, 2007 performance reviewed by Frances Benn Hall.

Bruce E Rodger’s “The Gravity of Honey” now rotating in repertory at the Chester Theatre Company with Jerome Kilty’s “Dear Liar,” is a strange play and one in which this reviewer found the acting more fascinating than the script.

The play begins with Honey Leon (Bairbre Dowling), a non-Catholic young chanteuse crashing animatedly into the confessional of Father Michael (Vincent Dowling) and insisting that he listen to her psychic dreams (or day dreams) of reaching God through science (involving stars, atoms and gravity).

She also predicts events that within nine months will come to pass in her life (dire) and in his life (the closing down of his parish church.) He tries to reason with her, assuring her that it is only through faith alone that one can reach God, but almost unwillingly (or willed by her) is drawn into her mystic involvement–which she records in her red notebooks.

Both actors are skilled professionals. Vincent Dowling gives us a priest who is lonely, but dedicated, kind, capable of what humor exists in this rather grim play. He looks every inch the priest he is, and priest that he is, he seems compelled to help her in her misery.

Bairbre Dowling’s role as Honey is more complex and demands character changes that vibrate in and out of the scenes. At times she is excited and sassy, at others crazy or brilliant, depressed or exalted. Physically she must be able to change from vibrant young woman, to one confined to a wheel chair and able only to lift a finger. This beautiful young woman can before our eyes have her face become ugly, tortured and almost demented.

One could wish that director John Greenleaf’s notes on the program had suggested what he intended to do with this production. As produced, the play seems moving through ideas concerning the possibilities of reaching God thorough science, art, or religion, but much remains unclear at the end.

Individual scenes are memorable. The monopoly game, in which the spaces for railroads are replaced by sites for Baptists, Methodists, etc. while as Father Michael gleefully points out, the Catholic Church is The Bank, is one of the few light scenes but a hilarious one.

And a scene in which the star-studded sky (set-designer Charles Corcoran’s fine background) is terrifying as Honey’s hand with which she writes in her red notebook seems to be held and guided by a force stronger than herself and that contorts her fingers until she cannot write.

Symbolic meanings seem present in the fact that both Honey and the priest have had “bad” fathers, but do not follow up meaningfully; neither does the significance of both having lived at different times in the same house. One has the feeling of missing much that was intended. Even the skilled acting fails to make such clear.

Of the two plays in this current series, “Dear Liar” I found more rewarding. But perhaps it is unfair—that one has most of the dialog written by Shaw and he is a hard man with whom to compete.

However it was a rewarding experience to see both of the Chester plays, especially because of the skills of the three actors involved: Vincent Dowling, David Birney, and Bairbre Dowling.

Considering these three, I think it would be marvelous if at a later date the theatre would bring all three together in Brian Friel’s “The Faith Healer,” a play in which each would find a role in which to shine.

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