If you can stand witnessing 90 minutes of emotional misery, then I can recommend Spinning at Den Theatre, where Irish Theatre of Chicago is giving the Dublin-based Deirdre Kinihan’s work its U.S. premiere. The four actors turn in powerful performances– a fifth character, never seen, was almost equally present throughout, a testament to the playwright’s gifts and the ensemble’s skills.
But the play may challenge U.S. audiences, as its exploration of the meltdown of Conor following an acrimonious divorce (Dan Waller’s vivid portrayal of Conor’s ups and downs is sensational) but the audience ends up nowhere. As his wife Jen, Carolyn Kruse is so well cast, and delivers an A+ performance - courageously staking out her ground, and the grounds to leave the marriage. Taking her daughter (never seen) she persists against the onslaught of Conor’s full-blown fury.
As Conor navigates Jen’s claim for divorce, he enters a downward spiral – heading on a destructive path, losing his business, and landing in prison. The storyline of the play turns on a very deliberate, but very slow reveal, of this crime.
But is this enough of a story for a play? Kinahan, a rising star in stage and with screen projects in development, explains that in Ireland, divorce is just a decade old. Unlike the U.S., Kinahan says Ireland’s divorced fathers are still establishing post-marital roles. To Conor, divorce means he loses his home, his daughter, and his standing as a spouse. It’s a different case here.
In Ireland this play is enlightening. Here, the play leaves one wanting – asking why we watched all that woe. Irish Theater of Chicago’s mission is to “focus on the rich legacy of Ireland,” and to “return theater to its storytelling origin.” Well this fraught recount of a marital breakdown is certainly that, a story – though for U.S. audiences, it may not have enough of a plot or purpose.
That aside, the performances are excellent, the director keeps the ensemble at a heightened level of delivery throughout – and Spinning makes for a worthy if painful theater experience .
