If you haven’t seen the new Conor McPherson play, “The Seafarer,” make haste. The show closes Sunday at the Booth Theatre after a four-month run.
I didn’t catch up with the play until last weekend — when I scored half-price tickets at the TKTS booth — and I was blown away by the quality of McPherson’s comedy-drama and the stunning five-actor cast.
McPherson got good reviews a few seasons back for “The Weir,” which I enjoyed, but “The Seafarer” is a much more satisfying play, both in terms of structure and entertainment value.
The contemporary story is set on Christmas Eve in the ramshackle suburban Dublin home shared by two single, middle-aged brothers, Richard Harkin (Jim Norton, above left) and his younger sibling, James (David Morse).
In the course of the morning, afternoon and evening, the Harkins are visited by their pal, Ivan (Conleth Hill) and then Nicky (Sean Mahon, above right), the considerably younger man who is now living with James’s ex.
Nicky brings along a man he met in a pub — the rather sinister Mr. Lockhart (Ciaran Hinds).
The stranger turns out to be Satan in the flesh, who has returned to reclaim James in a card game (years earlier during a long drunken evening, James made a pact with Mr. Lockhart that they would eventually gamble for his eternal soul).
The way that McPherson moves so smoothly from O’Neill-style naturalism into the realm of the supernatural is downright awesome — a tribute to McPherson’s deepening gifts as both a writer and director and to the extraordinary ensemble of actors.
Hinds and Morse are already well known for their impressive film and TV resumes — both have scored on the New York stage as well — but they are matched by the lesser known Hill, Mahon and Norton.
The play’s fluid (and rather eccentric) movement from drama to comedy and then back again would not be possible without the superb teamwork of the five actors. Every moment — big and little — counts in “The Seafarer” and the actors are simply a joy to watch.
Sorry for this late report on one of the best plays of the season.
(The Booth Theatre is at 222 West 45th St. If you don’t want to risk half-price seats not being available at TKTS when you go to New York, full-price tickets are available from Telecharge.com. The final week schedule is tonight through Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.)
