MacKenzie Meehan, Kathleen McElfresh, Christopher Donahue

As an Irish-born immigrant himself, Noone is in familiar emotional territory when he crawls inside the hearts and minds of Bridget O'Sullivan (Kathleen McElfresh), the cook, and Cathleen O'Leary (MacKenzie Meehan), Bridget's niece and the new maid, aka the "second girl," to parse their experiences adapting to a new world. Bridget left home under clouded conditions, leaving her to feel isolated in America until her young niece comes over on the Titanic. Owing to her youth and having survived her harrowing journey, Cathleen is a free spirit who wants to make the most of her opportunities before returning to Ireland to marry her fiancé. Jack Smythe (Christopher Donahue) suffers from a different kind of loneliness since the loss of his wife, but he is determined to rejoin the living, if only he can convince Bridget to have him.

Director Campbell Scott painstakingly lets the story unfold, allotting large chunks of time for Bridget and Cathleen to accomplish their household chores. Noone is very precise in stating the times of day for his scenes (for example, scene 1 - before breakfast, 6:54 a.m.) and the play opens in the dimly lit kitchen with Bridget scurrying around from sink to stove to counter as she prepares breakfast for the Tyrones. Set designer Santo Loquasto's kitchen is fantastic and operational, with running water, a working stove, and all of the necessary implements. The actors don't get to relax much, carrying out the tasks of the servants even as they play out their relationships, and it is exhausting to watch them. The blocking leaves no doubt as to how hard the downstairs folks had to work, and the gradual brightening and dimming of the lighting (designer James F. Ingalls) indicates the long hours that they were on the clock.

Noone draws his characters well and does a good job of providing each of them with a credible back story. As written, they are sympathetic and the actors capture their many facets. Although Bridget lives a spartan life with constantly clenched teeth, punishing herself for the shame she brought to her family, McElfresh lets us see more than her sorrow and pain. There are moments when she is vulnerable, showing some warmth and affection, and harbors a spark of hope that things might get better. Meehan's Cathleen goes through many moods in the course of the day. Aspiring to an acting career, she is prone to drama and recites lines she has memorized, but she works hard, too. When she gets a letter from home with bad news, her demeanor changes and she takes on some of the tough, bitter traits of her aunt. Jack is the steadiest of the trio, believing in his dreams and (usually) seeing the glass as half full. I enjoyed the interplay among the three as they teamed up against the world beyond the kitchen.

Greg Balla and Karen MacDonald are credited as offstage voices (representing Mr. and Mrs. Tyrone), but whatever contribution they are intended to make to the play was totally lost on me and my companion. Although I was aware of some muffled noises off stage from time to time, none of it was discernible to us. If their dialogue is pertinent, sound designer Ben Emerson needs to tweak something; if it is of no import, then perhaps it would be preferable to eliminate it altogether. Having the servants make references to their employers' lifestyle and the dysfunctions of the family can tell us all we need to know, because The Second Girl is about the struggles of the newcomers and the darkness that threatens to consume them, not the disturbances that take place on the other side of the swinging door. For the Tyrones, the die has been cast. Noone leaves us believing that Bridget, Cathleen and Jack still have a few good rolls of the dice ahead of them.

The Second Girl, performances through February 21, 205, at Huntington Theatre Company at Boston Center for the Arts, Wimberly Theatre, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org.

Written by Ronan Noone, Directed by Campbell Scott; Scenic & Costume Design, Santo Loquasto; Lighting Design, James F. Ingalls; Sound Design, Ben Emerson; Production Stage Manager, Katie Ailinger; Stage Manager, Jeremiah Mullane

Cast (in order of appearance): Kathleen McElfresh, Christopher Donahue, MacKenzie Meehan; Offstage voices: Greg Balla and Karen MacDonald

Photo: T Charles Erickson