The Well of the Saints     

Critiqued by Holly Bartges

The walls of the Germinal Stage Denver melt into the background as enchantment surrounds J. M. Synge’s charming “parabled” comedy The Well of the Saints currently playing at GSD.

Sallie Diamond as Mary and Ed Baierlein as Martin in Germinal Stage Denver's production of The Well of the Saints

Right up front, this awesome production should not be missed by anyone. Directed and designed by Ed Baierlein, The Well of the Saints features an awesome professional cast, a warm inviting set, humorous, creative, and very funny situations nestled within varied layers converting it into a “dramdy”. A simple story based on Irish folklore dating back two plus centuries.

An old blind couple, Martin and Mary Doul (Baierlein and Sallie Diamond) in County Wicklow, Eastern Ireland in the 1830’s, spend their days on the side of a road peeling bark from branches. Happy, content, they banter from wisdom, having known each other a very long time. Martin wistfully, with crinkled laugh lines, comments on Mary’s perfect white skin. They remind each other how beautiful they are. They know they are. They’ve been told by the townspeople over and over. What they miss however are the townspeople snickering and scoffing behind their backs.

The truth is, they are anything but. Laughing up their sleeves, the townspeople find mocking the old couple a blatant, daily source of entertainment. No big deal, they can entertain themselves at the expense of the old couple that will never know.

One day a Saint (Tupper Cullum) wanders into town with a small bottle of Holy Water, he brought from across the sea, with promises of returning their sight. Of course Mary and Martin are excited, excited to finally be able to gaze on the beauty they have heard so much about for so long.

Sight returned Martin and Mary learn the truth.  Shocked and angry, Martin tells Mary to go away. They stop speaking to each other.  Their frustration and anger mixes with cunning, laughable moments for the audience. He goes to work for Timmy the smith (Stephen R. Kramer).  Martin makes a clammy repugnant play for Molly, (L. Corwin Christie) Timmy’s betrothed. Angry, Timmy sends Martin away. The old couple again loses their sight. When the Saint returns to marry Timmy and Molly, he offers to restore their sight again. Enraged over the way the townspeople have treated them; Martin knocks the Holy Water out of the Saint’s hands. The Saint and the townspeople turn against the couple, once more. Martin and Mary decide to move to another town where people are kinder. As they hobble off, Cullum’s Saint, for one brief poignant moment, drops his arrogance.  Cullum’s expression runs shivers down the spine as it intercepts humorous moments.

The simplicity of the set suggests a crossroads of cobblestone, a well, an oval entrance into the blacksmith’s forge, and an oval doorway leading into the church.  When the scenes change, there is no question where they are and why. The production suggests there is space between the forge, the church, the crossroads, and it’s believable. The costumes are deliciously 1830’s rural Ireland. The Irish brogues ride intriguingly pleasant on the ears.

The Well of the Saints tells a simple story, a parable, while the actors give the characters richness from superficiality to immense depth. The beautiful people are beautiful; the ugly are ugly, and it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to discover which is which.

The production can be enjoyed just for what it is, a simple story. While engulfed with its enchantment, the layers unravel as its long arms reach into every aspect of our society from individual comprehension, or lack thereof, to the mighty political engine reaching into every aspect of our world. Dressed in sheer magical enchantment with fun and frivolity, it swings a sharp sword of truth into the reality of human nature. The humor laughs hard and plays hard, becoming more than laughter for laughter’s sake.

The combination of Baierlein and Diamond is sheer inspiration. If I had met the two walking down the street in character, I would have walked right by. The rich characterizations, the insinuations of facial expressions, subtle and obvious capture critical attention. Every inch of the faces, every wrinkle, takes on an independent personality. The smile lines dance to their own tunes. The eyes tell the story. The physicality of both creates the illusion of an old tired, bent over couple. Baierlein and Diamond create a crystal clear portrait of a couple who have been together a very long time, love each other because they know each other, struggle with disappointment over being taken for a false ride believing they are beautiful people. Funny, how that works, because in truth, they really are. Their beings brim with wisdom of the ages.

L. Corwin Christie as Molly and Stephen R. Kramer as Timmy in Germinal Stage Denver's production of The Well of the Saints

Christie sparkles in beauty and glory. Ah, yes, the chosen bride to be of the rugged handsome Timmy. As beautiful as Christie takes Molly into reality, Christie dives headfirst into haughty, self-righteous, prejudiced, self-centeredness all too willing to dance the dance of belittlement with everyone else in the town.  Making fun of the old couple proves her point of just how beautiful she really is. Timmy is so fortunate to have chosen her. He’s the man. He’s right. He’s strong. He can throw his weight around and no one, but no one, will disagree. Kramer, with tasseled disobedient hair, embraces Timmy with forthright brute force and glowing eyes.

It would be easy to play the Saint with a holier than thou demeanor. Not Cullum. He turns him into a real human being, Confident, strong, flirting with humor, and when his gifts are refused, glows with furry. How dare Martin and Mary refuse the gift of sight from him and his Holy Water. Cullum displays a real human in saint’s clothes, and he’s perfect.

Mark K. Moran as Matt Simon and Jennifer E. York as Bride, become so much a part of the scenario it is difficult to vision their not being a part of the whole. They take their stand with the others, each reflecting a distinct personality choreographed into the meanness and ugliness of the beautiful people.

Just don’t miss this production. Call, now for reservations. If you’ve never been to GSD before, you will never ever want to miss another of their productions. The Well of the Saints is one of those beautifully written plays, extraordinarily performed providing warm smiles and a grand affirmation to its truth.  

The Well of the Saints
By John Millington Synge