Reviewed by George Basler

John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World is a play with a multitude of elements. Is it a folk comedy? Is it a farce? Is it a tragic comedy?

The play is all of the above, and this complexity is one reason that, more than 100 years after its debut, it’s considered a masterpiece of Irish literature.

The play opened for a three-performance run Friday (Feb. 18) at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott. Produced by the Summer Savoyards and directed by Mary E. Donnelly, the production emphasizes the comedy of Synge’s play and is often delightfully over the top. But it’s less successful in conveying the dark elements underneath the comical.

Certainly, the play is a challenging one to stage, and the Savoyards’ production is a worthwhile effort. While the first act is somewhat slow moving, the next two acts brim with vitality and humor, thanks to Donnelly’s skillful direction of physical comedy and to a spirited cast.

Synge purposefully has his characters speak in the authentic Irish English dialect of rural Ireland. The Savoyards cast faced the daunting task of not only learning lines but mastering unfamiliar rhythms, cadences and language, as well as an Irish accent. Quite a job. To a person, they passed the test.

The language is also a challenge for the audience. Be forewarned: It takes time to get used to, and you’re not going to understand every word in the play. But the overall feeling comes through clearly. Just go with the flow, and let Synge’s lyrical language wash over you.

On one level, Playboy is a satirical take on the propensity of the Irish for myth making.

The play takes place in a country pub inhabited by publican Michael Flaherty (Charles Berman) and his spirited, but frustrated, daughter Pegeen Mike (Julia Adams). Pegeen is set to be married to her cousin Shawn (Ian Harrison Cook), a timid milquetoast whom she holds in contempt.

Suddenly, Christy Mahon, a squatter’s son (Ryan Canavan), stumbles into the pub with the tale that he has killed his father by bashing his head in with a farm tool. Rather than condemning him, the villagers offer praise. The men laud his bravado; the village girls swoon. Christy begins to transform himself from a sad sack to the “hero” the villagers have painted him to be.

At the same time, Christy and Pegeen begin a romantic relationship while the Widow Quin (Jessica Pullis), a comic schemer, sets her own sights on Christy. All this unravels when the supposedly dead father (Adam Ruff) shows up very much alive, and the villagers turn on poor Christy.

One element of the play that rings true is how we create heroes out of both myth and reality. The play is also a sardonic commentary on public fickleness as we build up heroes only to tear them down later when they don’t meet our expectations.

All this is played for laughs in the Savoyards’ production. Canavan and Adams do a fine job Christy and Pegeen, whose burgeoning romance is the heart of the play. They successfully use Synge’s humorous and lyrical language as Christy’s “poet talking” intrigues and then enraptures Peegan, who does not suffer fools gladly.

The supporting cast is a strong one. Ruff superbly catches the comic bluster and earthiness of Christy’s father who just refuses to die. His performance is so spirited that he almost seems ready to bust a blood vessel at times.

Berman is equally fine, and equally over the top. This is especially true in the third act when the slightly tipsy father goes into a long ramble about his daughter’s future.

Cook effectively plays Pegeen’s simpering suitor as he moves effortlessly from false bluster to quivering cowardice without missing a beat. And Pullis comes close to stealing every scene she’s in as the sexually aggressive widow, who isn’t above a little chicanery to try to catch Christy.

Where this presentation falls short is in the final scene. It’s a dark moment that should be heart-rending, but doesn’t come across as effectively as it should. Then again, the Savoyards’ production is not looking for darkness. On its own terms, it’s a success.

IF YOU GO:The Playboy of the Western World is a fundraiser for the Summer Savoyards’ return this summer to presenting Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Performances are 7:30 p.m. today (Feb. 19) and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 20) at the Cider Mill Stage, 2 Nanticoke Ave., Endicott. For tickets, visit cidermillstage.com or call 607-321-9630. Ticket sales will benefit both the Savoyards and the Cider Mill Stage.

Cider Mill Stage will be offering its usual refreshments, and the Savoyards will be serving a special “show cocktail,” dubbed Pegeen’s Punch.