The Cripple of Inishmaan
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Cititour.com Review
Once again Daniel Radcliffe is playing an orphan...but this one has no magic tricks up his sleeve. As Billy, the title character of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan, he moves around the stage in a sort of hop-shuffle, one leg being shorter than the other, and his deformed left arm is curled back up against his shoulder. It’s a captivating performance, and not just for its technical prowess; Radcliffe also captures the pain of a parentless young man crippled as much by loneliness as by his physical limitations. It’s a great role for an actor who always seems to be pushing himself into new territory, even if it’s in a dark comedy that’s not one of McDonagh’s best.
It’s 1934, and life has marooned Billy on the remote island of Inishmaan, off the western coast of Ireland, where he’s been raised by two dotty, doting aunts (Ingrid Craigie and Gillian Hanna). But when he hears that a film crew is making a movie on a neighboring isle, he finds a way to get there. And despite not having anything resembling matinee-idol good looks, Billy is swept off to Hollywood for a screen test.
This takes Billy offstage for a considerable chunk of time (not a good choice, perhaps, when the actor playing him is the star of a star-driven vehicle), and McDonagh takes the opportunity to hint at what happened to Billy’s parents through ethically compromised local gossip Johnnypateenmike (Pat Shortt). He’s only slightly less unpleasant than Helen (Sarah Greene), a redhead filled with rage who enjoys hurling eggs at people.
It can all become rather grating, even under the auspices of an astute director like Michael Grandage, whose production has been imported from London. McDonagh uses the early days of film and Hollywood to play with ideas of illusion versus reality, and characters who seem to fit a narrow profile eventually prove to be something more. Not unlike Radcliffe, who at 24 continues to make bold career choices that show audiences he’s moved beyond his Harry Potter image. The Cripple of Inishmaan is a good play with which to do that, if not exactly a great play in its own right.
By Diane Snyder
Visit the Site
http://www.crippleofinishmaan.com
Cast
Danielle Radcliffe, Ingrid Craigie, Pádraic Delaney, Sarah Greene, Gillian Hanna, Gary Lilburn, Conor MacNeill, Pat Shortt, June Watson
Open/Close Dates
Opening 4/20/2014
Closing 7/20/2014
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 4/12/2014
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
James Earl Jones Theatre
138 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036
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