‘Burgh Vivant – On one fateful night, under the full moon and a multitude of stars, anything can happen, confessions of unrequited love, acts of kindness or cruelty, deep desires quenched and unquenched, maybe even forgiveness. All of those things and more could happen in Eugene O’Neill’s “A Moon for the Misbegotten.”
Things are rough for the Hogan family in 1923 Connecticut. They are tending to the farm on land owned by the Tyrone family. Phil Hogan (Wali Jamal) is a drunkard and tyrant. He has driven his three sons away. The youngest, Mike (Jordan Drake) runs away with the help of his sister, Josie (Melessie Clark).
Josie is the only one who seems to be able to stand up to Phil, her father. She knows she’s strong, but she doesn’t know she’s pretty. She talks a big game, but most of it might be false bravado.
Then, James Tyrone, Jr. (Brett Mack) walks up from the main house.
Side note: If the name James Tyrone, Jr. sounds familiar, you might remember him from “A Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” another iconic Eugene O’Neill play.
James is itching to tell the Hogan family (not to be confused with 1986 Valerie Harper/Sandy Duncan sitcom, “The Hogan Family”) that T. Steadman Harder (Allen Law) is coming to visit.
The Iceman cometh and he’s pissed. Hogan’s pigs have gotten into his spring water which will taint the batch of ice. Harder threatens to buy the Tyrone estate from James and throw the Hogan’s off the land. James, an alcoholic who wants to leave town and go back to the city, is intrigued by the offer, but he promised to sell the land back to the Hogan’s.
Phil concocts a scheme to get James drunk, catch him in bed with his daughter, bilk him out of money and secure the land. Josie believes Phil’s devious plot and goes along with him in his scheming.
James and Josie decide to meet up under the moon for a romantic interlude.
When James finally arrives, he’s is drunk, but Josie quickly forgives in order to execute the plan. Things take a variety of turns and Josie Hogan and James Tyrone take a long night’s journey into day.
The plot is simple, but the language is dense, poetic. O’Neill is the first to admit that nothing is simple to understand in the world (a line from the show). Humans and their spectrum of emotions are complex. Anyone who has ever been in love with an alcoholic will feel a special connection.
It is a story of buried emotions that bubble to the surface. It is profound, lyrical, beautiful. There is a reason that Eugene O’Neill was classic American playwright alongside Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller.
Clark is spectacular as Josie Hogan, the indomitable daughter. She is tough, strong and beautiful, but also deeply vulnerable. She is everything Josie needs to be and more. She adds a layer to the character that deepens Josie. This is coming from a longtime Colleen Dewhurst fan (Dewhurst played the character in a 1975 film version).
Jamal shines in the role of Phil Hogan. He gets some of the best comedic lines in the show and he delivers them flawlessly.
Mack does a terrific job as James Tyrone, Jr. The chemistry between Mack and Clark is undeniable. It is palpable.
Stephanie Mayer-Staley’s set is a work of beauty, the elegant skeleton of a shack set against a verdant hillside.
Side note: Mike’s pitchfork is pitch perfect, a rusty three-pronged garden tool that matches the set, an excellent find from the Emily Landis, the assistant scenic designer, props artisan and scenic painter. It’s astounding how a perfect prop can add to the magic of the evening.
C. Todd Brown’s lighting design set the time and moment. You didn’t need to imagine the moonlight, or know that dawn was approaching. His lighting design clued the audience in.
J. Cody Spellman directs a taut and suspenseful drama, an extraordinary story about ordinary lives. The story is timeless.
All Quantum Theatre shows are unique experiences. “A Moon for the Misbegotten” is unforgettable, set on the shooting range of the Longue Vue Country Club, where broken clay skeets litter the path to the outdoor venue.
The final moment, Mack ascending a flight of stairs, is a poetic and fantastical end to the drama. “Misbegotten” will not be forgotten. It is a powerful story well told.
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“Moon for the Misbegotten” runs from August 2 to 25 at the Staged at Longue Vue Club, 400 Longue Vue Drive, Verona, PA 15147. For more information, click here.
