David Hurst takes a look at A Touch of the Poet at Irish Repertory Theatre:
In the pantheon of dysfunctional fathers given life by Eugene O'Neill, few are as seldom seen or as difficult to portray as Cornelius "Con" Melody in O'Neill's blistering examination of toxic masculine pride, A Touch of the Poet. Written in 1942 but not performed until 1958 after O'Neill's death, the last major sighting of Poet was the 2005 revival at Roundabout's Studio 54 starring the magnificent Gabriel Byrne, who was stifled in a production whose supporting cast didn't rise to Byrne's occasion. In the current revival at the Irish Repertory Theatre, the shoe is on the other foot as the technical production and supporting cast are superb, but its star, Robert Cuccioli, works far too hard at portraying a common Irish peasant masquerading as an English gentleman. |
