Students can celebrate this Halloween differently with “The Weir,” a Conor MacPhearson play about hauntings in an Irish town.
Director Patrick Bynane said “The Weir” explores the lives of four men who frequent a pub in rural Ireland. Finbar, one of the four men, brings a young woman, Valerie, to the Pub. Through the course of the play the audience discovers that the house Valerie moved into is haunted. The men tell their eerie tales of the town, but the tables turn when she shares her haunted past.
The cast includes two LSU faculty members. Nick Erickson, associate professor of theatre, plays Finbar, the wealthy married man who parades around with the new girl. Mike Katchmer, foreign language and literature instructor, plays the role of Jack, an irritable, lonely man who is down on his luck.
Completing the cast is Preston Lorio as the cheerful bartender, Brenden. Bryan Poole plays Jim, the silly friend with a good heart. Wendi Morril, the only female in the cast, plays Valerie.
The actors execute their Irish accents well without sounding like gibberish. Anyone who can understand the accents in movies like “Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels” and “Trainspotting” can comprehend the dialogue of “The Weir.”
The Guardian, a London publication, refers to MacPhearson’s work as “A spellbinder that transfixes you…No praise in fact is too high…THE WEIR offers the most exciting evening.”
This Baton Rouge production location at Mickey’s Varsity Shop Cafe is perfect for the play because of the building’s rustic and warm interior. Because the cafe already came equipped with a mahogany bar, the pub setting is realistic.
Artworx Productions, which is located on campus across from Tureaud, produced the play. Artworx will show a preview of the performance tonight at 6:30p.m. on Cox Channel 4.
“We take money from Cox to invest in live theatre performances,” said Artworx President Andre G. Chapoy. “The performances are done as fundraisers for community interest organizations.”
Because of the Irish themes, “The Weir” raises money for the Celtic Society of Louisiana.
Mickey’s Varsity Shop Cafe located in the McGlynn, Glisson and Koch Building at 340 Florida Street will house all performances of “The Weir.”
Tickets for the show are $14 for the public and $10 for students with a picture ID at the door.
The production starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. and will run until Nov. 2. Log onto www.artworxonline.com for dates, times and a chance to win free tickets to the show.