Tony Awardwinner Brian Friel’s Faith Healer is the first production of the fifth season of Uma Productions. Faith Healer is a compelling story of an Irish faith healer, his lover, and his devoted manager and their fateful return to Ireland.
The talented cast includes Danica Ivancavic (Grace), Chris Hainsworth (Frank), and James Joseph (Teddy). They helped the audience to understand the characters lease on like.
Francis was a rude faith healer that dealt with tragedy and thought that his calling was to help others. While trying to help others, he had problems with helping himself, drinking his problems away.
Grace was Francis’s wife who he calls his mistress just to spite her even though she devoted her life to him. She even went so far as to drop out of law school. He treated her poorly because she was unable to bear his children.
Teddy was the charismatic manager who had total faith in Francis. Born into show business, he knew how hard it was to “make it.” He devoted his time and invested it in Francis. He learns a valuable lesson: never mix business and friendships.
Each character had about 15 to 30 minutes to give the audience an idea as to who Francis Hardy was and his impact on their lives. All the monologues were powerful. The actors’ voice and diction were perfect. They even made eye contact with members of the audience.
There was no room for bias in Brian Friel’s The Faith Healer, because each character told their sides of the story. It was up to the audience to seek the big picture, from what was said in each monologue. The prerequisite for viewing this complex yet deep melodrama is critical thinking skills and the ability to stay alert even in times of utter confusion.
The first half of the production left the audience with total ambiguity as to what really happened in the relationship of Frank and Grace. There was confusion as to who was dead or alive.
Friel’s objective was to keep the theatre community at the edges of their seats, waiting patiently for answers to various questions about the “happy” couple’s relationship. The character Teddy was used to clear up all confusion. About 80 percent was cleared. The other 20 percent left the audience asking questions amongst themselves.
When Teddy talked about the relationship between Frank and Grace, he ended up re-evaluating his relationship with Grace and how he truly felt about her.
The Faith Healer has a sensational and an extravagantly emotional feel to it. Viewing this extremely compelling play was an experience like no other. The Faith Healer is not a play that any normal person could sit back and enjoy. It is a powerful play that requires thought and analysis. There is a sense of mystery in the play.
Being invited into the minds of every source and getting a clear view of the characters’ lives and how they relate to each other is a strenght of the show. Though Frank was the faith healer, Grace and Teddy were his faith healers. It looks as if they may have failed, but their faith in Frank and their faith in general helped them to find their way on this journey called life.
Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division, 773.347.1375, Thurs. through Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. $15-$30. Through Feb. 10.