Sligo Drama Circle’s “To Live in Peace”

The Italians have given us some very good plays and many good ones. “To Live in Peace”, which the Sligo Drama Circle presented at the Town Hall, was not one of these. This play has a strong central character, a host of minor characters, some fine flashes of humour and loads of sentimentality, but it is a poor play. While it received many plaudits at festivals last year when done by a well known neighbouring group it is to be regretted that the Drama Circle wasted its talent on it.

When the curtains parted on the opening scene, the audience had already been waiting almost twenty five minutes from the advertised starting time. Those who had the courtesy to arrive in good time for a punctual start were in their seats over half an hour before the play began. This delay had dulled any keen anticipation the audience might have had, and it would require a heck of a good show to bring a restive and already tired audience round to full participation and enjoyment. The show was undoubtedly good, but following the power of “Montserrat” and the glory of “God’s Gentry”, somewhat disappointing.

It was a one man show. Paddy Dooney as Don Geronimo, Parish Priest of Certaldo, near Sienna, in the year 1804, was the show. All the others in the cast, and we have seen some fine acting from some of them in previous plays, were overshadowed by his portrayal of the aging priest who has a cardinal’s hat thrust in his grasp. Even before he appeared on the stage, when speaking from the depths of his cellar, his presence was felt, and from his first entry till the final curtain he dominated the play by his sincerity and his entirely convincing acting. The author who created the part deserves some credit, of course, but without an actor capable of playing it, his work would have gone for nothing. Paddy Dooney played the part splendidly. He might, however, have invested, his miming of his imagined powers as a bishop with more studied seriousness, for the impression given was one of lightheartedness.

In a play of this kind, when most of the work is done by a central character, the lesser roles assume the greatest importance. It is through them the story, if there is a story, unfolds, and each actor must bring to his study of the part a perfection which the producer will use in building these perfect parts into the flowing unit of the play. If each minor role is not exactly right, and acted well, the balance of the play is upset and the parts that are well acted only show up what is lacking in the others. In this production there were many signs of slackness and lack of study in some of the smaller parts. From the women in the Drama Circle, only the best is now expected. Marie Mulvihill’s tinker (Betsy Connors) in “God’s Gentry” and Monica Toher’s half-breed (Felisa) in “Montserrat” are portrayals that live in the memory. This play, “To Live in Peace”, gave them little chance, and while they took advantage of the few chances given and played them well, their characterisations were not very memorable.

Mary Mc Govern as Maria, the mother of the beautiful and light headed Mattea, gave a nicely pointed interpretation, quiet, worried and eventually bewildered, of her part. As Maso, Brian Bohan gave a credible performance of the peasant sacristan. The producer might see to it that he, Maso, in future performances varies his entrances to suit his mood. Vivian Francis, who played Cavalieri Dossi, was aided by the brilliance of his costume in giving a very good account of this scheming rascal. He spoke with persuasive skill, and the echoes of the spinning gambling wheel could almost be heard in his voice. Friar Sylvestro, (Joe Lally) revealed himself almost at once by his overacting – his rolling eyes and and exaggerated shiftiness – as the fraud he was. The revelation of his crookedness should have come as a surprise. As played, it would have been a surprise if he were on the level.

General Miollis (Joe Mc Morrow) and the love-stricken Corporal Martiez (Eddie Fitzpatrick) did not blush unseen. They blossomed fully and effectively. Production was adequate, businesslike and unimaginative. When there were large numbers on the stage the groupings were rather mechanical. The lighting was very good. It was the most effective lighting plan used by the Drama Circle so far. The set was attractive and realistic enough, though it was risky, even though no other solution presented itself , to put a side window facing the audience, when it was obvious that the people addressed by the Parish Priest through the open window were behind him. It was a pleasant change to see coloured walls instead of the drab canvas flats of the Town Hall.

The producer and the cast are not to be entirely blamed for the costumes; they were hired, the programme said. Except for those of Don Geronimo and the soldiers, the rest of the cast looked as if they dressed for an operetta or an old time musical. Admittedly, it was the Festival of the Wine Harvest and a bit of gaiety was expected. but Maso’s new suit was a (Grafton) street away from the cloths of the others. Agnese seemed to have arrived directly from “White Horse Inn” and Mattea appeared to have wandered from a performance of “Patience”. This varied raiment and splurge of colour gave an air of unreality to the play – a burst of song was expected at any moment.

But Don Geronimo was great. He lifted a dull, platitudinous play right off the ground and kept it aloft. It is this performance, and not the play, one remembers.

from The Sligo Champion, by Tadhg Glenanne, April 8th, 1961