Storytelling dates back to prehistoric times to preserve culture and communicate ideas. Before the invention of writing around 3200 BCE, the primary method of storytelling was by word of mouth. Epic tales, theatrical narratives, and religious texts were told. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century shot storytelling up the revolutionary trail.
For a revealing example of this ancient art, with an emphasis on ghost stories with things that go bump in the night, travel to an Irish pub, Brendan’s, courtesy of the New Haven Theater Company where a quintet of people, four men who know each other well and a woman new to the community have gathered for a pint or three of Guinness. Join them for Conor McPherson’s "The Weir” as they share tales of a supernatural theme that touch the heart and the imagination. Until Saturday, May 9, the EBM and Civvies Vintage Store, 839 Chapel Street, New Haven will offer you a seat at the bar.
Director George Kulp is passionate about this play, calling Conor McPherson the finest playwright of his generation. He calls this play lyrical and amazing, that in February 2025 was adapted into a film with the cast of the Dublin/London revival. The four men who frequently meet over a pint of stout have know each other for years: Gavin Whelan’s Brendan who owns the pub and his usual customers, J. Kevin Smith’s Jack, Steve Scarpa’s Jim, and John Bachelder’s Finbar. Tonight Finbar chances to introduce a newcomer who has just moved to the community, Melissa Andersen's Valerie.
As the alcohol loosens their Irish tongues, the men start telling stories that involve conflicts in the past, burial plots, romances that went wrong with regrets, strange knocks on the door, ghostly overtones, betting on horses, tales of fairies, old folklore, tricksters, priestly blessings, a special soup stock, a newly dug grave, a howling wind and an accident under the water.
For tickets ($25), go online to www.newhaventheatercompany.com. Performances are Thursday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Get involved in the private and public lives of these hard working Irish men who are fascinated by the beautiful newcomer in their world. They wow her with strange tales of the past, real or imagined, and then are spellbound when they listen to the story she is compelled to share with them in return.
