A Visually Striking but Stylistically Diluted DUBLIN BY LAMPLIGHT
DUBLIN BY LAMPLIGHT—written by Michael West in 2004 in collaboration with Dublin’s acclaimed Corn Exchange—is an atmospheric satire set against the simmering backdrop of 1904 Ireland. As a revolutionary fervor sweeps Ireland, a desperate theatre troupe scrambles to stage ‘The Wooing of Emer,’ fighting to birth a national theatre amidst a minefield of political unrest and backstage chaos.
Under David Pica’s direction, six actors bring this world to life portraying principal characters and other small roles filling out the Dublin landscape. Greysen Kessler plays Willie Hayes, the beleaguered producer fighting to keep a collapsing production afloat. Teddy Novak portrays Frank Hayes—Willie’s brother and the leading actor and amateur bombmaker. Chloe Russell commands as Eva St. Jean, a faded leading lady desperate to reclaim her glory, while Ian Higgins plays Martyn Wallace, the romantic lead caught in the eye of the storm. Rounding out the ensemble, Liv Lucano plays Maggie, a sharp-tongued serving wench and costume assistant navigating the shadows of the stage, and Joshua Bridges plays Jimmy Finnegan, the gritty carpenter holding the set—and the troupe—together. Alayna Lino provides well-timed, live foley sound effects.
The set, designed by David Gallo, features a towering theatrical arch that is as attractive as it is imposing – occasionally dwarfing the intimate scale of the cast and the play’s action. Costume Designer Janus Stefanowicz’s costumes effectively capture the stark reality of 1904 class struggle. Eric Haugen’s evocative lighting design deepens the mood and atmosphere of the production. Together, these design elements are quite lovely and aesthetically alluring, perhaps working against the rough and tumble, ragtags-in-rebellion nature of the story. Completing the production’s design elements, Matthew Mastronardi’s sound design infuses the story with Irish folk song.
Originally written to be performed in commedia dell’arte—a specialty of the Corn Exchange, with whom West collaborated—the play calls for masks (here, stylized face makeup) and hyper-attenuated movement, allowing actors to embody stock figures and effortlessly morph into secondary characters.
Director Pica, however, introduces a patchwork of meta-theatrical influences drawn from silent film, radio, and vaudeville. Where commedia’s physical framework should elevate the backstage mayhem into high buffoonery—making the transition to real-world poverty, violence, and heartbreak all the more jarring—Pica’s approach dilutes the style. As a result, the production loses its dramatic punch: while theatrical, it ultimately lacks what we might assume was the author’s intended emotional resonance and depth.
DeSales University Act 1
DUBLIN BY LAMPLIGHT
Runs through 10/11/2026
Review submitted by:
Franklin Joseph
Author’s Bio:
Franklin Joseph is an avid theatre goer who takes delight in the active theatre arts community of the southeast Pennsylvania region.
