Irish ‘Wife to James Whelan’ debuts

Mint Theater discovers a long-lost 1942 drama with a James Cagney-style hero

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

A pocket-sized but invaluable group, Mint Theater Company digs up and stages long-lost plays. Its latest discovery, "Wife to James Whelan," is wonderfully obscure even by the Mint's archeological standards.

This circa 1942 Irish play will appeal best to serious students of drama, but since I consider myself in that category, I had a fine time seeing the production that opened Monday at the Mint's 99-seat theater in midtown.

Thanks to the Mint's smart program notes, I learned plenty about little-known playwright Teresa Deevy (1894-1963). While in university, the 20 year-old Deevy lost her hearing and yet went on to craft six dramas premiered by the Abbey Theater of Dublin during the 1930s. After the Abbey rejected "Wife to James Whelan," Deevy wrote a dozen radio plays for the BBC before retiring in the mid-1950s to her hometown of Waterford in southeastern Ireland.

It's a shame that Deevy did not sell her script to Hollywood: "Wife to James Whelan" would have made a nifty Warner Bros. picture for James Cagney. That's the best way to describe Deevy's contemporary saga of a self-made man and the women in his busy life.

The Cagney role is James Whelan, an ambitious factory worker with a good Irish heart, a cocky attitude and a hot temper. When James nabs a better job in Dublin, his feisty girlfriend Nan (think Ida Lupino) refuses to wait for his return six months hence and takes up with a nice pushover (Dennis Morgan).

Seven years later, Nan is an impoverished widow with a child and successfully applies for a job with James, now the proud owner of a growing bus line and as big-hearted as ever. Then Nan impulsively steals a small amount of money and the wounded James angrily prosecutes.

The conclusion sees sprung jailbird Nan forgiven and on the path to redemption while James both reconciles with his former rival Bill (Jack Carson) and makes up his mind between a sensible heiress (Alexis Smith) and the wise, sisterly friend (Geraldine Fitzgerald) who secretly loves him.

That's the story but the play itself is not so entertaining since its action is crammed into three continuous acts. A climactic fistfight between James and Bill erupts offstage. Yet for all of the realistic awkwardness of the dramaturgy, Deevy's dialogue is tasty and her several character studies are quite intriguing. The tortured relationship between impetuous Nan and self-righteous James is especially compelling.

Mint artistic director Jonathan Bank is a worthy literary scholar and must be commended for bringing Deevy's play to light in its second-ever production. Unfortunately, he's not much of a director and does not convey the text's subtle shifts in mood. Because the show is flatly acted, one must peer beyond the performances to appreciate the excellence of the material. Hopefully the actors will continue to grow into their characters during the production's run.

"Wife to James Whelan" continues through Oct. 3 at the Mint Theater, 311 W. 43rd St., New York. Call (212) 315-0231 or visit www.minttheater.org.