Devilish deal drives deep tale

Tales of the devil — and deals made with him — are a dime a dozen, and theater has never shied away from such stories. But Mother Road Theatre Company’s production of “The Seafarer,” part of the Southwest Irish Theater Festival, offers an entirely unique and rewarding twist on the classic devil tale.

“The Seafarer,” written by renowned Irish playwright Conor McPherson, begins as a raucously funny comedy. We meet James “Sharky” Harkin, a middle-aged Irishman who returns to his hometown in Baldoyle, Ireland, for Christmas. Sharky and his brother Richard argue and banter, while making preparations for a Christmas Eve poker game with their drinking buddies.

Peter Kierst, who plays the hard drinking, recently blinded Richard, is hilarious and keeps the audience in stitches throughout the entire first act. Kierst plays Richard’s cantankerous gift-of-the-gab to stunning comic effect, enlivening his every scene. Things take a turn, of course, when one of the poker-night guests, Nicky Giblin, brings a new player to the game: Mr. Lockhart.

As it turns out, Lockhart is no stranger to Sharky because the pair played a game of poker in prison 25 years ago. Sharky won and was mysteriously released from prison afterward — but he also promised Lockhart a chance to play again. Lockhart gleefully explains that the time for their second game has come, and when he wins, Sharky’s soul will be condemned.

It’s never entirely clear whether Lockhart is the devil himself, or simply a diabolic servant. Either way, Lockhart is clearly not human. The other characters generally speak with a working class, Dubliner dialect, but Lockhart’s speech is lyrical and poetic. Whenever Lockhart and Sharky are left alone together, the “devil” confronts his prey.

Lockhart confesses that he disdains his human form, and his job is to gather human souls for all eternity without rest. Lockhart embodies the characteristics of the typical villain, but has some distinctly human traits. His charm, confidence and sudden temper are nothing groundbreaking as far as devils are concerned. But as written by McPherson and immaculately performed by Tom Schuch, there’s also a profound loneliness to the character.

“The Seafarer” is complex and mature in its open admission that all actions will have consequences. Sharky has struggled his whole life, and he begins to wonder if the fate Lockhart offers is no less than he deserves.

All the characters in the play are fully drawn, and not a single performer in Mother Road’s production fails to do them justice. Gil Lazier’s direction balances these many fine performances and teases out the subtleties and philosophies deeply woven into McPherson’s script. “The Seafarer” is a stunning play, and Mother Road’s production of it should not be missed.

“The Seafarer”
by Conor McPherson

The Filling Station
1024 Fourth St. S.W.

Runs through Sunday
Thursday, Friday 8 p.m.
Saturday 6 p.m.
Sunday 2 p.m.
$12 students
$10 Thursday