Dancing at Lughnasa

In 1988 Noel Pearson, then artistic director and chairman of Dublin’s celebrated Abbey Theatre, sought out a new work from the equally preeminent Irish playwright, Brian Friel. Dancing at Lughnasa arrived in mid-1989, whereupon Pearson declared it one of Friel’s best works, if not the best. As in many of his works, Friel had drawn upon autobiography. But Lughnasa, more than most, pantomines the revered writer’s life – in this case, a poignant and gentle paean to his mother’s maiden aunts, filtered through his exquisite understanding of characters stranded with unrealized dreams, who nevertheless reach a state of courage and grace. An overwhelmed Pearson ventured to predict that the play would premiere in Dublin, then move on to success in London’s West End, New York’s Broadway and eventually to the screen as a motion picture.

Despite the play’s overwhelming international recognition, Friel resisted its transference to the screen until October 1996. He relented just as Pearson had finished collaborating on a script with noted playwright Frank McGuinness, who enthusiastically accepted Pearson’s offer to adapt Dancing at Lughnasa, and the screenplay was completed by April 1997. “Film is a different medium, so we had to start from scratch, virtually. As they say ‘taking it out'”, reflects Pearson. “We needed someone that could take it out without losing the essence of what made the play work in the first place, and I think Frank has done that.” Commenting on his first reading of the script, Michael Gambon would later state, “it is a work of art”.

A month later, pre-production commenced with Pearson’s long-time friend, admired director Pat O’Connor. Invisibly, Dancing at Lughnasa reveals not only the fully-individual natures of the five Mundy sisters, but also those of the three men in their lives: the communal illegitimate son Michael, Christina’s always unexpected lover Gerry, and the blissfully shamed priest-brother Jack. Crucially, it fully captures the unique relationships between each of them. Of the unbreakable and ill-fated bond between Agnes and Rose, Brennan ventures, “I think Agnes is a woman who’s longing for a relationship and for love. But I feel that she would probably love to have a child and Rose is as close to that as she’s got.” “The interesting thing about this piece is that a lot of it is about women without men,” observes Streep. “Ireland was very affected by emigration. A lot of men left to make money or to make their lives elsewhere, and so the remaining men were prized in a certain way. I thought it was very elegantly written, and presented the rare opportunity to work in an ensemble of mostly women. A story about people that would have ordinarily been neglected.”

Kate’s sadness com from all her lost chances and also that at a certain age her life is over. At least when she has her teaching job she has she self-esteem. And when that’s taken away she has nothing. And to be an unmarried woman without a child, not a widow even. Just a nothing, she’s a nothing in the world. A burden. Like in those Native American tribes when old people decide they’ve taken enough food from the group, they walk off. “After Yale, I did play after play after play. I loved it! And then I stopped – all on behalf on my children who don’t appreciate my sacrifice AT ALL! (laughing) ‘Eeuuuwww, theater, why would you want to do that? It’s boring!’ I really miss it… So that was the main thing. To begin circling the theater, to see if I could fit my large, overly important self into an ensemble again in the way that everybody does seamlessly in the theater. And they were amazing to me, forgiving and welcoming. (Meryl Streep, Harper’s Bazaar, January 1999)

“Dancing at Lughnasa” is one of the films I would have probably never seen if it wasn’t for Meryl. I’m sure it has also been her involvement that helped financing the film, giving her another opportunity after “Plenty” to play a character from a play on the big screen. The reason that the film remains little seen is probably because of it’s story – four spinster sisters in rural Ireland, coping with poverty and unfulfilled dreams isn’t you basic mainstream material. But while currently rewatching the film, I was pleasently surprised how well it’s transformed to the screen. This film belongs to its actors, it’s great to see Meryl playing opposite a great actor like Michael Gambon. Sophie Thompson, who’s Emma Thompson’s younger sister, is equally good as Rose. And Kathy Burke and Rhys Ifans, who made their mark as comedians, are doing a great job as well. Meryl’s character is the most unsymphatetic of the film, and the saddest, because with all her harshness she’s trying to keep her family together. Being the oldest sister, she has become the family’s mother. “Dancing at Lughnasa” is recommended to all who like a small and nicely acted ensemble drama, featuring beautiful cinematography of the Irish landscape.

☆   Irish Film and Television Award – Best Actor in a Female Role