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Off-Broadway Review

Marin Ireland Is a Latter-Day Blanche DuBois in Blue Ridge

By David Sheward on January 16, 2019 inTheatre

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Few actresses can wring as many variations on self-indulgent despair as Marin Ireland. This Obie winner has created incisive portraits of a party-girl spoiled royal in Marie Antoinette, a narcissistic bisexual activist in In the Wake and a self-destructive immigrant worker in Ironbound. That’s just to name a few. Now she is a disgraced high school teacher, sucking up oxygen and wrecking lives in Abby Rosebrock’s Blue Ridge at Atlantic Theatre Company. Alison is the newest resident at a Christian half-way house in the mountains of North Carolina. When her abortive affair with her married principal goes south, she takes an axe to his car and must submit to a work program and Bible study. Ireland manages to make this dangerous bundle of nerves a charismatic charmer, gathering attention and even love while wrecking havoc.

Marin Ireland and Kristolyn Lloyd in Blue Ridge. Credit: Ahron R. Foster

Marin Ireland and Kristolyn Lloyd in Blue Ridge.
Credit: Ahron R. Foster

Her interactions with her fellow participants and the group’s facilitators form the backbone of Rosebrock’s prickly and moving drama. The dialogue crackles with authentic flavor delivered with intense conviction by Ireland and the ensemble, directed with a feel for empathy by Taibi Magar. There are a few holes in the plot and the denouement feels more than a bit forced, complete with a “out of nowhere” revelation. But Blue Ridge delivers a satisfying insight into the irresistible paths of dysfunction.

Channeling Blanche DuBois, a legendary Tennessee Williams character she quotes from liberally, Alison feeds on her neurosis and can’t seem to stop screwing up her life and those around her. Ireland gives her a vital, almost irresistible sparkle. Hugging two pillows for support and barely continuing her ferocious energy, Ireland expresses Alison’s physical desperation without turning her into a tornado of terror. It’s understandable why friends and lovers are drawn to her.

Kyle Beltran, Peter Mark Kendall (lying down), Kristolyn Lloyd, Nicole Lewis, Marin Ireland, and Chris Stack in Blue Ridge. Credit: Ahron R. Foster

Kyle Beltran, Peter Mark Kendall (lying down), Kristolyn Lloyd, Nicole Lewis, Marin Ireland, and Chris Stack in Blue Ridge.
Credit: Ahron R. Foster

There is also fine work from Peter Mark Kendall as the damaged Cole, the latest target of Alison’s obsessive adoration. He appeared to be a reticent Southern-fried macho guy, but roiling with insecurities within. On his first entrance, he barely speaks but each monosyllabic response carries weight. Chris Stack is equally silently eloquent as Hern, the strong, quiet minister running the program while Nicole Lewis is buoyantly vibrant as his co-leader Grace. As Alison’s fellow residents in the program, Kristolyn Lloyd and Kyle Beltran also slowly reveal centers of disquietude beneath seemingly sober surfaces.

Adam Rigg provided the homey group-living environment which evokes institutionalism, the church, and a woodsy motel. In the play’s final moments, Rigg’s set opens up to reveal gorgeous winter mountain scenery, just as Ireland exposes Alison’s aching interior.

Jan. 7—26. Atlantic Theatre Company at the Linda Gross Theatre, 336 W. 29th St., NYC. Tue 7pm, Wed 2pm & 8pm, Thu—Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm, Running time: two hours including one intermission. $65.50—$86.50. (866) 811-4111. www.webovationtix.com

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TagsAbby RosebrockAtlantic Theatre CompanyMarin Irelandoff-BroadwayTaibi Magar

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About the author

David Sheward

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David Sheward is a respected writer, editor, and critic. He is the former executive editor and theater critic for Back Stage, the actors’ resource. He has published three books on show business: Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, It’s a Hit! The Back Stage Book of Broadway’s Longest-Running Shows and The Big Book of Show Business Awards. He served as president of the Drama Desk, the organization of New York-based theater critics, editors and reporters for seven years. He's also a member of the New York Drama Critics Circle, the Outer Critics Circle and the American Theater Critics Association where he currently is a member of the organization's New Play Committee. For over ten years, he was a contributing correspondent on NY-1 News’ weekly theater show On Stage. In addition to his blog, which you can access from the link above, David also provides Broadway walking tours: http://criticschoicetours.com/

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