Harvard Theater

Written by Brian Friel

Directed Tim Corbett

In the Winthrop House JCR

Through Sunday

A YOUNG MAN and his alter ego. It's a frequent theatrical construction and one of the most toughest to pull off well. One actor is the public persona. The other is his conscience, his mind, his memory. The two sides of Gareth O'Donnell, a young Irishman, assume independent identities in Philadelphia, Here I Come!

While the public Gareth engages the other characters and is engaged by them, the private Gareth, the inner self, can not be seen or heard by the other characters. He can influence the action only indirectly, by first influencing his public other.

The public Gareth (Bob Toner) and his private side (Kevin Walker) surmount the demands of the difficult premise of the Winthrop House show, a drama-comedy written by Brian Friel. The public Gareth--Gar for short--is a quiet, unemotional guy who wonders whether his father will miss him when he leaves Ireland for Philadelphia. He was too shy to ask Senator Doogan (John Claflin) for the hand of his daughter (Laura Uyterhoeven). Now she's married to someone else.

The flamboyant, energetic private Gar tries to push his other self away from a painful past and into a future of endless possibilities. With his sarcastic and biting wit, he continually pokes fun at the people of Ballybeg, Ireland.

Both Walker and Toner are dressed in green sweaters, khaki slacks, and brown shoes. Both speak in a believable Irish brogue. Alone in the bedroom, the two help each other imagine what existence will be like living in Philadelphia with "their" aunt. First, Gar is a star soccer player, then a businessman on his way to becoming president of a major corporation. Next, he's a famous violinist; later he's a powerful U. S. Senator.

Walker does an excellent job of maintaining a powerful presence on stage, even though only public Gar can recognize this presence. His versatility and energy takes over the stage, making up for the occasionally unsure performances by the supporting cast.

Gar's private self and his father (Jamie McInnes) work secretly together to provide continue slapstick comedy. During afternoon tea, Gar predicts every word the elder O'Donnell speaks. When the old man describes his problems with travelling (his bowels cease to function), the unseen alter ego screams "bound by the ass, tethered by the toilet" to the delight of the audience.

Gar's decision to leave his father dominates the conversation between the two Gars and is the underlying source of tension. But this tension is one-sided, as we see only one brief glimpse of what the father truly feels. His face is often too plaster-like to gain any true insights.

In the final analysis, the relationship between Gar's two halves is more compelling than the tension between a father and his son. Particularly intriguing was the way the private Gar turned his back in embarrassment whenever the public Gar showed sentimentality or emotion toward another character. And when Gar, his father, and the long-time maid (perfectly played by Betsy Menes) are praying, the private Gar seeks to interrupt his other self's prayer with sexual thoughts.

This battle of split personalities is never completely resolved, but by the end of the play the two sides of Gar O'Donnell have come to understand their differences a little bit better--and so has the audience.