Review: Meramec Students Present Insightful World Premiere Play

While Ireland and England were at war in 1592, Grace O'Malley—Ireland's so-called Pirate Queen—traveled to England to meet with Queen Elizabeth I of England to ask for the return of her lands and the release of her relatives from prison. Much to the consternation of the English court, the Queen agreed to the meeting.

No official records of what transpired were kept, but we do know that they met as enemies and parted as friends. What may have transpired is now the subject of a new play, The Conversation, by Dennis Corcoran, presented by Black Mirror Theatre Company at the Focal Point in Maplewood. The world premiere show continues today and tomorrow at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Although the show is not technically aproduction, everyone associated with the show is currently or formerly a Meramec student. The director of The Conversation, Michelle Rebollo, is the theatre department coordinator at Meramec.

The play offers us a look into the minds of two of most powerful women of the time and proposes answers to unanswered questions: How did the two women relate to each other? What did they talk about?

The play is fictional of course, since history is silent on the subject, but it offers a believable and fascinating look into their personalities and what may have transpired.

Queen Elizabeth—played with royal authority by Gwynneth Rausch—is primarily Elizabeth the Queen, but we see hints of Elizabeth the woman peek through in moments of near-tenderness. When she speaks coyly of past lovers, we realize that under the multiple layers of royal finery, she is a woman at heart.

Katie Robinson as Grace O'Malley (Gráinne Ní Mháille) is, by contrast, a firebrand. O'Malley did not come to power because she inherited it, but because she took it with her fleet of pirate ships and by jumping into the fray wielding a sword. In Robinson's portrayal, she shows a vulnerability that she most likely never showed publicly.

The cast also includes Brian J. Rolf as Sir William Cecil, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Elizabeth's top adviser. Rolf gives an effective performance as someone who's looking out for the best interests of the Queen and the realm, at least in the world according to Cecil.

Michelle Rebollo has done a splendid job directing. Thanks to her staging, it's quickly forgotten that the play is being performed on a stage approximately twelve by seven feet. She uses the space available to its full ability without things seeming cramped.

Set and lighting by Megan E. King was effective, and Sharon Corcoran's costumes were perfect, especially Queen Elizabeth's dress, on loan from St. Louis Shakespeare, who in turn acquired the gown from the New York Metropolitan Opera.

The show is not without shortcomings. At times, Grace seemed as though she might have been any landowner in Ireland and not the powerful woman who could influence an entire country. I don't fault the script for this, but rather the interpretation by Robinson and Rebollo's direction. Power can be conveyed by the way a person comports themselves, carries their body or the fire they feel from within.

This is a small matter compared to the accomplishment here, by the actors, director and especially Corcoran's script. It remains an insightful and thought provoking evening of live theatre that shouldn't be missed. This production represents the first baby steps for a play that has a very long and successful road ahead of it.

Thanks to a reading of the original one-act at the Kennedy Center, and a recent reading staged in Nashville, producers, universities and regional theatres across the country are clamoring for the script.

There is even talk of a staged reading in New York in the fall. Don't be surprised to see it being performed on the most important stages in America, or even on television in Masterpiece Theatre.

Performances of The Conversation will be at The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, Maplewood. All tickets are $10 at the door. Remaining show times are Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.