2 lonely Dublin souls find reasons to live in ‘Chapatti’
Christian O’Reilly’s play “Chapatti” is easy to summarize. It’s the story of two lonely Dubliners in late middle age whose only real emotional ties are with their memories, their disappointments and their pets. And then they meet each other.
But that would be leaving out a natty suit and tie, and best of all, one very fetching, curve- enveloping red dress. It also would be neglecting mention of the fact that the unlikely pair in this charming little two-hander, now in its world premiere at Northlight Theatre (and already booked for a visit to the Galway Arts Festival in July), is being brought to life by John Mahoney and Penny Slusher, two beguiling performers whose interplay (under the fleet direction of BJ Jones) serves as nothing less than a master class in acting.
Unfolding in a deft mix of heartache, despair and gentle comedy, the story is a mix of zesty self-narration and beautifully limned scene work. And it leaves you cheering for these two characters’ hard-won moments of happiness.
Dan (Mahoney), a retired laborer, spends most of his time holed up in his dark little bed-sit. He has no one to talk to but his dog, Chapatti (a stray he picked up in London, and named after the scraps of Indian flat bread he liked to eat), and he is still mourning the loss of the woman he loved for years. With no friends, and nothing to do other than visit the cemetery and make unnecessary trips to the local veterinarian, he has no reason to live and seriously considers suicide.
Betty (Slusher), divorced years earlier, is an energetic woman who works as a caretaker for a cranky, sickly, well-to-do neighbor whose grown children don’t visit her, and whose only company is Prudence, a cat. Betty herself is a great cat-lover, with 19 of the creatures often packed up in a carton and taken to the same vet as Dan’s. She has not given up on life, despite her drab appearance, but has few expectations of things getting better. Yet she harbors faint hopes of romance, or at least friendship with a “man.” (Just saying that word is enough to make her face light up.)
Dan and Betty Meet Cute (and crankily) in an encounter near the vet’s office. And while the two don’t click to start, Betty is persistent, Dan is despairing, and despite all odds, a very needed, life-and-spiritsaving relationship is set in motion.
Mahoney is in top form — agile, crisp, volatile and, as ever, a minimalist who can achieve maximal effects. And Slusher, a true actor’s actor in this city, is so real, so full of barely suppressed fire and selfmocking indomitability, that she has you watching her every move. Best of all, they manage to sidestep sentimentality without sacrificing the special chemistry between them that is all but irresistible.