Translations
It would make a lovely picture, I thought of the last scene of Translations, Brian Friel’s drama that is currently playing at the Biltmore Theatre. The atmosphere is pitch perfect- somber lighting, mist wafting across the stage, the sense of impending doom hovering just beyond stage right.Set in Ireland in 1833, Translations tells the story the English arrival in Ireland and the resulting cultural struggle between the two nationalities. The story is framed by discussions in the hedge school classroom of Milus, played by David Costabile, where they study old fashioned languages such as Latin and maintain a strictly old-fashioned education. The success of this school is threatened, however, by the opening the National School, where everyone in the classrooms speak English.The impending threat of English is personified by the arrival of Owen, Milus’ brother (Alan Cox) and the Irish/English translator for two soldiers, Captain Lancey (Graeme Malcom) and Lieutenant Yolland (Chandler Williams) They have come to Ireland from England to conduct a survey and restructure the aged maps of the area. Lieutenant Yolland immediately becomes infatuated with the old-fashioned land and people, including Maire, a student and girlfriend of Milus who longs to learn English and move to America. The two fall into a brief love affair, running away hand-in-hand from the local dance, and attempting to communicate despite their differences in language. Their romance is one of the highlights of the evening, with the two actors giving it a bittersweet sincerity, but while it is palpable, it is too abrupt and too brief, seemingly coming out of nowhere and then disappearing after one short scene. The play then shifts back to the educational and political conflicts, which feel lifeless and flat after the inspired passion in the woods.The viewing of this play requires a willing suspension of disbelief from the audience, because while the Irish characters are speaking Gaelic, and the soldiers are speaking English, all of the scenes are spoken in English, with the actors pretending to not understand each other. The delivery of this is done admirably by the cast, and it provides some comedic relief for the audience, as they hear George and Moira unwittingly mirroring each other’s statements, as well as the English soldiers committing the common error of speaking loudly, hoping that it would help the Irish understand them.While the themes of the show are timeless and the metaphors are apparent – the translations of language, of love and of culture – Translations never fully personifies those themes and metaphors. The characters feel stiff, and the conflicts unexplored. The actors conduct themselves with an admirable restraint, exemplified when, after learning of Maire’s romance with Yolland, Milus leaves town in an attempt to save his dignity. But the dignity is not enough –with the exception of a scene of drunken frivolity, what the stage is lacking is passion. The people who love their home and their language and culture do not demonstrate that love, and without it, it is difficult to understand their reluctance to adapt.All of these characters are struggling to survive in their own ways. Some are looking to the future, some are looking to the past, and some are looking to the bottle. And none of them are going to succeed. But the tribute to their attempt is in the wrong place. It should be hanging in a museum, not being acted on the stage of the Biltmore Theatre.