Uplifting Moonshine

“Believe – and you shall not be found wanting.”

The Toronto Irish Player’s production of Jim Nolan’s play Moonshine is both haunting and hilarious – and magical – and every character is subjected to a test of faith.

Director Maureen Dorey-Lukie and her lovely cast took us on a journey to Ballintra, a seaside village in the south of Ireland, where the local Church of Ireland rector Reverend Langton and mortician McKeever are both struggling with professional and personal crises. Langton’s church and wife are dying, and the extremely likeable McKeever has a questionable track record both professionally and personally, but is ever the optimist, even as his amateur production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is disintegrating before his - and his ever shrinking cast’s – eyes.

Stephen Flett is excellent as McKeever, who is a bit of a screw-up but possessed of a huge heart – and Flett nicely balances the man’s humour and humanity. The whole cast was very strong: Gregory Cruikshank (Michael), Declan Whelehan (Rev Langton), Carlyn Rhamey (Bridget), William Mowat (Griffin), Myrthin Stagg (Elizabeth) and Mary Hunt, who played a dead Margaret Langton under a sheet at the mortician’s and in the coffin at the funeral service (with the lid closed – but left open a crack – for a good six minutes!).

A very enjoyable afternoon at the theatre (I went yesterday). Moonshine runs until Sat, Nov 6 on the main stage at Alumnae – for info, visit the TIP website: www.torontoirishplayers.org

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