Phoenix's 'Da' An Irish Jig

Phoenix Theatre is taking us back to the old country, where memories and brogues are so thick you have to brush them away.

Hugh Leonard's Irish play "Da" about a father, his son and the emotional gulf separating them took a Tony Award in 1978.

This is one challenging script, both in terms of creating an earlier, far different world, yet also a world that moves us all the same. Phoenix Theatre's effort is a highly skilled one.  

Center stage is Michael McFadden's impish Da. He delights, extracting more chortles, guffaws and outright gasps than any other character. There were times, however, when I longed for him to reveal Da's sadness, too.

Nevertheless, his is a tour de force on stage.  

Going head to head with Da, in ways more than one, is David Bailey's tortured son, Charlie. Typical of Bailey's previous stage work, he holds the viewer's eye and ear wherever he goes. I wanted a more nuanced meltdown, but all the rest of his work succeeds.

Some of the play's most surprising moments come with Charlie at 40 arguing with himself at the age of 17. Chad Oswald's younger, simmering resentment made a delicious counterpoint to Bailey's older exasperation.

Another presence to be enjoyed is Susan Connors' Ma. She fills her corner of the house with a zest and zeal not to be missed.

Also, a special nod to Renee Gilbert's Mary "The Yellow Peril" Tate for extracting more poignancy from her scant moments of stage time than one would think possible.

Eric Lewis' direction is nimble. The script calls for a wide variety of locales and times. His staging featured a seamless dexterity, including one eye-popping quick change.  

Then, too, the rich Irish brogue that he coaxed out of his cast was music to the ear. Those times when it oddly disappeared altogether made me long for it all the more.

Lewis' set design is quite charming. Da's faded home with all the thoughtful touches of weariness is candy to the eye.  

His three-part design, more than any other aspect of this performance's accomplished technical design, set the stage for me.

Aside from a surprising number of disappointing trouser hems and cuff lengths, Viveca Sinai's costume design delights. She tickles the eye with a wide range of fabrics and patterns, deftly bringing to life this Irish world of long ago.

Knowing this to be a challenging script, I couldn't help but count the instruments available to lighting designer Rick Wright. He used them all to great effect, illuminating an impressive variety of locales.

His sound design, too, ably supported this play, though I found myself yearning for more somber tunes to balance his lively mix.

"Da" runs through Feb. 27, playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at 206-533-2000.  

More information is available at PhoenixTheatreEdmonds.com.