by Lisa M. Chmiola
Staff Writer
Dancing has often been used as a sexual metaphor, and the University of Houston School of Theatre's production of Dancing at Lughnasa is no exception to the rule.
The 1991 Olivier Award winner consists of an illegitimate son, Michael (Luis F. Galindo III), remembering his childhood, in which he was raised by his mother and four maiden aunts. Set in 1936 Ireland, the plot concentrates on the Mundy family's Catholic upbringing and the pagan forces that place the family unit under pressure.
Of course, Michael's mother Chris (Allison Keith) has participated in some non-Catholic, premarital "dancing," or she wouldn't have her 7-year-old bundle of joy to worry about.
And every time Michael's father Gerry (Daniel Magill) comes to town, the two partake in more dancing - strictly ballroom, that is.
Rose (Krista Forster) and Maggie (Rebecca Randall) often dance around the house, but their similarities end there. Rose is having an affair with a married man, while Maggie must settle for her cigarettes until she gets a man.
The other sisters, Agnes (Marion Wood) and Kate (Amanda Henkel), seem to be the strictest, or most sexually deprived, of all. Agnes tends to her knitting constantly, and Kate is a Catholic schoolteacher, head of the household and staunchly against anything slightly pagan.
I have to admit, the Irish accents were done fairly well. I was also impressed by the performances of Randall and Henkel - Randall was a hilarious dose of comic relief, and Henkel was believably the bitch she was expected to be.
However, the plot just didn't seem to flow very well. I had to constantly remind myself which character was which, how each was related and what happened to each previously. It's one thing to pay attention to the production, but it's another if you are almost talking to yourself aloud to be able to follow along.
And perhaps I missed the meaning as well, or maybe it just lies deeper than I was able to see. I highly doubt it was that "Catholic girls run wild without parents."
So, seeing no meaning, all I could see in it was sex - especially in one scene when the women are listening to the radio and are overcome by the urge to dance. But mind you, this was no ordinary dancing - the women seemed to be caught up in uncontrollable furies of ecstasy.
Once they had reached their "peaks," each fell to the ground from exhaustion and possibly even pleasure overload. I suppose this was a representation of a Catholic way to release tensions.
If you want to see the rage for yourself, Dancing plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre on the UH campus. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors, $8 for faculty/staff and alumni and $9 general admission. Call 743-2929 for details - or perhaps you'll just stay home and do some "dancing" of your own.