Bravo for ‘The Babbling Banshee’

Saturday night, customers of Rachael’s Café on Third Street experienced “The Babbling Banshee,” a new play by local director Russell McGee.\nThis is the first production for McGee’s production company, Starrynight Productions.\n“The Babbling Banshee” is a two-man play that tells the story of two Irishmen, Ryan O’Brien and Bryan O’Brien. It is set in modern times in County Cork, Ireland, at a little bar called The Irish Lion. \nWith the performance at Rachael’s Café, the stage setup is simple. Tables and chairs from the cafe are used as props. Bottles of Guinness, a lit Guinness bar sign and Irish music are also used to set the mood of an Irish pub. With the price of admission, I also dined on a traditional Irish dish of beef stew prepared by the cafe’s owner. These props are just a background to the powerful performance of the actors, who draw the audience in and have mastered their Irish accents. \nThe character of Ryan O’Brien is artfully portrayed by actor Roy Sillings, who has showcased his talents for many shows at the Monroe County Civic Theatre. Sillings is convincing in his role as a homeless taleteller who weaves his sorrowful life into his fairy tales. Actor and recent IU alumnus Ryan Adam Wells gives a sincere performance as Bryan O’Brien, a bartender who owns The Irish Lion and amuses Ryan O’Brien by listening to his tales. \nThe audience is in on the fun as Ryan O’Brien tells his fairy tales, but we slowly see the relationship between Ryan and Bryan O’Brien crumble as he tells the tale of the babbling banshee, which slowly reveals how alcoholism can destroy a family like the O’Briens. \nMcGee draws elements from his own childhood to reveal what alcoholism can do to a family. The overall narrative is powerful, and the importance of storytelling is something McGee said he wanted to get across in the play. He said so much of our history that has been kept alive through storytelling is being lost to modern technologies and culture. \nThe intimate venue brought the story alive for the audience, and it felt like I was sitting in a bar in Ireland, listening to these two men and observing their relationship. \n“It’s fun having it right there with you,” Bloomington resident and audience member Denise Valkyrie said. \nValkyrie liked the venue and said it was better than sitting at home watching television and eating a frozen dinner. She also added that the play was like taking a little bit of the television show The Black Donnellys and sticking it into a stage atmosphere.\nLeila Dabbagh, audience member and professor of applied health science, also thought the play was wonderful. \n“I loved the storytelling,” Dabbagh said. “Roy embodied the character so well. ... I felt like I wanted to hear more stories.”\nThe play definitely deserves more attention and credit than it has received and is a great example of community theater. The profits from this show will help raise money for future Starrynight Productions, the next of which is “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”