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Dancing at Lughnasa
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Dancing at Lughnasa is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in Ireland's County Donegal in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of Michael Evans, the narrator. He recounts the summer in his aunts' cottage when he was seven years old.
five Mundy sisters (Kate, Maggie, Agnes, Rosie, and Christina), all unmarried, live in a big cottage outside the town.
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Encyclopedia
Dancing at Lughnasa is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in Ireland's County Donegal in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of Michael Evans, the narrator. He recounts the summer in his aunts' cottage when he was seven years old.
Plot synopsis
The five Mundy sisters (Kate, Maggie, Agnes, Rosie, and Christina), all unmarried, live in a big cottage outside the town. The oldest, Kate, a school teacher, is the only one with a well-paid job. Agnes and Rose knit gloves to be sold in town, thereby earning a little money for the household. They also help Maggie to keep the house. Maggie and Christina (Michael's mother) have no income at all. Recently returned home is their brother Jack, a priest who has lived as a missionary in a leper colony in Uganda for 25 years. He is suffering from malaria and has trouble remembering many things, including the sisters' names and his English vocabulary. Gerry, Michael's father, is charming and unreliable. A clown and a vagabond, he visits rarely and always unannounced. He has another family back in Wales, which didn't prevent him from proposing to Christina. He has returned this time to tell her he is joining the International Brigade to fight in the Spanish Civil War.
Characters
Gerry Evans: Gerry Evans is initially portrayed as an intensely negative character, particularly by Kate, for having left Chris and fathered her illegitimate son, Michael. However, upon his first appearance in the play, Gerry is shown to be charming and genuinely affectionate towards Chris. His current job as a gramophone salesman (and former job as a ballroom dancing instructor) represent his freedom in sharp contrast to the stagnant lives of the Mundy sisters. This is made all the more obvious by the fact that he is leaving Ireland to fight in Spanish Civil War, something that is further disapproved of by Kate. Through Michael's narrative, we learn that Gerry has been left with a limp after falling off a motorbike in Barcelona. As well as having romantic feelings for Chris, Gerry seems particularly inclined towards Agnes, although the true state of their relationship remains in doubt.
Christina Mundy: At 26 years old, Chris is the youngest of the Mundy sisters, and, like Maggie, is unemployed. Gerry Evans fathered her son, Michael, seven years ago and is seen as walking in and out of their lives as he chooses. As a result, Chris fluctuates between falling into a deep depression when he leaves, yet being renewed with optimism that his next visit will be a permanent stay. Her lack of income can lead Chris to be incredibly defensive on the upbringing of her son, shown when Kate buys Michael a new spinning top at the beginning of the play.
Maggie Mundy: In place of not having a career, Maggie acts as the family homemaker. However, throughout the play she is seen as serving a deeper purpose as the "joker" of the family. She cheekily challenges Kate's authority by calling her "Kitty", whilst being her confidant at the same time. However, despite her light-hearted nature, Maggie is seen as having dreams of her own when she learns of her best friend's success. Her sudden quiet contemplation in her monologue is deeply contrasted with her usual fun-loving way of speaking.
Rose Mundy: Rose is 32, but behaves much younger than her years, due to a developmental disability. This condition makes her particularly vulnerable to an unseen character, Danny Bradley, who Rose believes is in love with her. However, her sisters believe that Danny Bradley is exploiting Rose's simple nature for his own gain. She is particularly close to her older sister, Agnes, whom she knits gloves with to sell in the town. We learn through Michael's narrative that Rose dies in a hospice for the destitute in Southwark.
Kate Mundy: Kate is the eldest of the Mundy sisters and behaves as a Mother figure as a result. As a schoolteacher, she is the only wage-earner in the house, but her reputation as 'The Gander' in the schoolroom is seen to extend into the household. She is a fiercely devout Catholic, indicated by her distaste for the pagan practices at Lughnasa and Jack's loss of faith. However, her sensitivity is evident throughout the play and through the narratives provided by Michael, who claims she was "inconsolable" when Jack died.
Agnes Mundy: Agnes is quiet and contemplative, knitting gloves with Rose whilst also helping to keep a house. She appears to be silently infatuated with Gerry and is quick to leap to his defence. However, Michael's narratives reveal Agnes' future to be bleak, since her knitting fails to support her during the process of industrialisation. Due to her sense of proprietorial regard for Rose, she emigrates with her to London, but dies in dire circumstances.
Michael Evans: Michael does not appear onstage as a child, but his presence is mimed by the other characters, while the adult Michael speaks his lines. As a child, Michael is seen as being surrounded by love, since all five of the sisters dote on him. Michael also acts as a narrator, not only dictating the action as it goes on, but revealing the futures of the other characters in the play.
Father Jack: Jack was once a Catholic chaplain and thus a well-respected member of the community. However, his return to Ballybeg after serving as a missionary in East Africa has paved the way for great changes. He has difficulty with his memory as a result, often forgetting the names of his sisters or confusing them with his former house boy Okawa. Jack appears to have lost his faith and so respect for him has dwindled, and this is a great worry for Kate, who is concerned about reputation. Jack refers to Michael as a love child rather than an illigitmate child. Fr. Jack dies of a heart attack near the end of the story.
Productions
World premiere
First produced on 24 April 1990 at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
Original cast:
- Director - Patrick Mason
- Set and Costume Design - Joe Vanek
- Lighting Design - Trevor Dawson
- Sound Design - T. Richard Fitzgerald
London
The British Premiere took place at the Lyttelton Theatre at the Royal National Theatre, London on 15 October 1990. The production, produced by Bill Kenwright and Noel Pearson, then transferred to the Phoenix Theatre, London on 25 March 1991.
United States
The play opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on 24 October 1991 produced by Noel Pearson with Bill Kenwright and Joseph Harris where the production won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1992.
Cast
- Director - Patrick Mason
- Set and Costume Design - Joe Vanek
- Lighting Design - Trevor Dawson
- Sound Design - T. Richard Fitzgerald
Film adaptation
Dancing at Lughnasa was adapted for film in 1998 starring Meryl Streep as Kate Mundy and directed by Pat O'Connor. The film won a Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Female Role by Brid Brennan.
Awards and nominations
Awards
- 1991 Evening Standard Award for Best Play
- 1991 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
- 1992 New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Play
- 1992 Tony Award for Best Play
Nominations
- 1992 Drama Desk Award for Best New Play
Further reading
External links
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