On & Off Broadway

‘Quietly’

Review by Elyse Trevers

Posted

Two Irishmen walk into a bar … sounds like the beginning of a joke, but in Quietly by Owen McCafferty, it’s a story of conflict and understanding. It’s rare theater that keeps the audience in suspense for more than half of the 75-minute play but Quietly keeps you guessing. Who is this stranger that Jimmy is waiting for and why will there be trouble?

The play at the Irish Repertory Theatre begins peacefully with Polish bartender Robert (Robert Zawadzki) engrossed in the football game on TV when Jimmy (Patrick O’Kane) enters. There’s good-natured bantering between the two about jobs, sports and countries. Outside there are raucous children playing, but Robert is unperturbed. Yet Jimmy is brusque and seems angry, perhaps because of the impending meeting. When Ian (Declan Conlon) enters, the atmosphere changes to one charged with hostility. Almost immediately, Jimmy approaches and strikes him. Then the two talk about their shared past. Both their 50s, they were shaped by events that occurred when they were 16. Now a different person, Ian won’t apologize for what he did when he was a teenager; he just wants Jimmy to understand.

Despite some issues the audience may have with the Polish and Irish accents. the play moves quickly and is engrossing. Set in Belfast, Ireland, the drama is well-crafted with motifs that run throughout the play. Directed by Jimmy Fay, Quietly reminds the audience of political hatreds and long-lasting effects.

Events in the beginning echo events in the past and perhaps portend the future. Intolerance of differences may change form, but it won't go away.