The actor John Keating is actually a tall bag of bones with fright-wig hair and frightened-deer eyes, a glance created for character parts. That he nabs the lead job in Laoisa Sexton’s “The Pigeon in the Taj Mahal” with the Irish Repertory Theater is purpose adequate to discover anh am dao gia it, even when the Enjoy’s protracted execution wears out the prickly appeal of its premise.
Mr. Keating performs the Pigeon with the title, a sweater-clad, Elvis-quoting naïf who lives inside a trailer park in rural Ireland. Is he lonesome tonight? Not precisely. But he’s Evidently thrilled to locate a younger woman in smeared makeup and ripped tulle dumped on his doorstep. “You may have the uncommon splendor,” he states to her unconscious type. “Just like a swan inside a soiled lake!” This really is Lolly (Ms. Sexton), a plastered bride-to-be overdosed on vodka and physique glitter. On waking, she initially threatens Pigeon which has a hammer after which softens at his odd hospitality.
At the time Lolly is roughly awake, Ms. Sexton has excellent fun contrasting her shallow town designs with Pigeon’s callow strategies. “D’you bought iPhone, d’you are doing?” she whines. “I cellphone?” the perplexed Pigeon asks. But as they continue to be from the trailer, the Engage in starts to spin its motionless wheels. There’s many dialogue and many depredation, especially at the time another bachelorette (Zoë Watkins) arrives, but getting set these characters together, Ms. Sexton and the director, Alan Cox, don’t know really what to do with them. Despite a persistent topic of innocence and knowledge, plus some questions about the position of folklore in up to date Eire, “The Pigeon while in the Taj Mahal” generally looks like a 1-act that outgrew itself. A little less discussion wouldn’t harm.
But action problems Ms. Sexton significantly fewer than furnishing a vigorous, in some cases vulgar showcase for herself and one other actors. A deft performer, she clearly enjoys Lolly’s woozy, crude obliviousness, but she's equally as satisfied to cede the phase to Mr. Keating. Pigeon isn’t a wholly credible character, but Mr. Keating lends him warmth and a gentle style of bravery, even though carrying lipstick and also a penis headband. Cheers to Ms. Sexton for letting this distinctive actor unfold his wings.