Maskers score hit in ‘Weir’ Irish tales arouse ghosts of the past

Conor McPherson’s play “The Weir,” performed by the Belfast Maskers through Sunday, is set in rural Ireland but is a perfect fit for coastal Maine in the blowy month of October. Part ghost story, part community testimony, “The Weir” taps into the connections people make when they live lonely lives and keep secrets down the Gothic back roads of their towns and hearts. It’s also about what happens when the floodgates of memory open wide.

In American English, the word “weir” refers to a type of fishing net. In Irish, it is based on the word “werian,” which means to defend or dam up. In the play, the word takes on deeper meanings as the internal weir of each character loosens and gives way to human pain.

“The Weir,” two-time winner of London’s Olivier Award including for best new play in 1998, takes its rightful place in a decade full of regional works by young Irish dramatists making their marks in Dublin, London and New York. Set in the pub of a small town on an evening of blustery wind, the show unveils the lives of four men who grew up in the same town and their mannerly response to a young, vulnerable woman visiting from Dublin.

As the five begin to drink and warm themselves by the crackling stove, they share not only the eerie lore of the town but their own unsettled lives.

While McPherson beautifully presents the lilt of Irish storytelling, he also overtly exploits exposition. The entertainment quickly turns into a round robin of stories. It’s not so much that the plots are predictable, even though they are about a haunted house, a burial ground, and a mysterious woman on the stairs. It’s that the structure of the play is obvious well before the second speaker launches into his monologue.

Because this is truly an ensemble play, it would be tricky to single out any actor as carrying the show. Nevertheless, Charlie Hunter, as Finbar, has the most natural approach to spinning a yarn, and there’s a spark in the room any time he’s on one of his tears. The rest of the cast – Blair Einstein, Peter Conant, Peter Paton, Nicolle Littrell – are well-matched. Each has a moment to shine, and each also struggles with pacing and accents, which adds a stiltedness or slowness to the rhythm of the production.

But director Robert Hitt can be unstoppable in his determination to create theater that, while not always bumpless, can make a lasting impression. There’s enough spookiness in this production to keep you slightly more alert on the drive home.

More impressively, however, “The Weir,” with its earthy and snug pub setting by Jim Thurston, and chilly-night lighting by Wolf Zoettl, comes closest in recent years to carrying on the tradition of the Maskers to present community theater with punch and candor. No matter how the administration changes, what seems to remain the same is that the Belfast Maskers achieve some of the best sets for miles around.

“The Weir” runs a full 90 minutes without intermission. Or, as Hitt likes to say, the intermission comes before the tale of ghosts and goblins and little girls begins. So get your cookies and coffee when you walk in the door, and then settle in for a dark and stormy night.

The Belfast Maskers will present “The Weir” 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., and 2 p.m. Sun. through Oct. 31 at the Belfast Maskers Waterfront Theatre. For information, call 338-9668.