When Brian Friel's Faith Healer opened in 1979, critics debated whether it was a play at all. Instead of offering the typical dialogue between actors, Faith Healer consists of four long monologues delivered by three characters. All the characters are linked. Their individual speeches conflict, although they cover some of the same ground.
The first and last segments are given to Frank Hardy, a narcissistic artist whose healing power is both a blessing and a curse. He earns a scant living by traveling the small, forgotten towns of Wales, Scotland and Ireland to give "one night only" performances. Early on, Hardy muses that the sick, the blind and the lame that show up come not to be cured at all. Rather, Hardy believes that they come to "confirm their incurability," giving them "peace of mind" that their current sense of hopelessness is appropriate. But at other times, Hardy's temperamental curing power is authentic. It is not something Hardy can control or anticipate, and this leaves him with a profound sense of distrust in himself and others.
The second monologue is delivered by Grace Hardy, Frank's long-suffering wife. Like all the characters, she addresses the audience directly. She tells of her financially comfortable but emotionally bereft upbringing, and why she chose to cling to Frank instead of to her family. She admits it is not an easy choice, as Frank often treats her with disgust and cruelty.
After an intermission, the second act begins with a much lighter monologue delivered by Teddy, Hardy's manager. Dressed in a silk smoking jacket and tippling a few beers, Teddy begins by telling several amusing anecdotes about the former acts he has managed; these include a bagpipe-playing dog and a woman with her trained pigeons. The role is perfectly cast, as David Cecsarini becomes Teddy, complete with a twinkle in his eye and a convincing British accent. Cescarini vividly captures the character's essence, which allows Teddy to remain hopeful despite the frequent difficulties of living with Frank and Grace Hardy. By the end of Teddy's appearance, the audience becomes fully aware of the bond that has kept these three people together for more than 20 years.
Jonathan Smoots gives one of his finest performances as Hardy. His thin, chiseled face illustrates the pain Hardy has endured. He gives a completeness to all the degrees of Hardy's complex nature. As Grace, Mary MacDonald Kerr creates a sympathetic and complex portrait of a woman torn between love and her self-acknowledged lack of self-esteem.
Director Edward Morgan deserves credit for much of this success. He allows things to flow at a natural pace (although some in the audience might find this a bit slow). For all its merits, Faith Healer is not a crowd-pleaser. The play covers some dark territory, and its highs and lows swing from love to contempt, loyalty to abandonment, and friendliness to hostility. The play's format (a series of monologues) also forces the interaction between characters to occur in the audience's imagination. Faith Healer demands a lot from its audience, and for this reason it may never achieve the popularity of Friel's best-known play, Dancing at Lughnasa. Yet the intimate Next Act Theater stage is an ideally suited for Faith Healer. Its production is aided in great measure by the superb (yet minimal) set design, which remains unchanged throughout the performance. The characters are surrounded by various types of chairs, each of which has special significance to the plot.
The lighting is equally awesome. Different areas of the stage are subtlety lit and darkened as if each character's memory is somehow bringing it "back to life." Faith Healer is a challenging undertaking for even the most dedicated theatergoer. It is, however, a journey worth the effort.
