Playwright: Frank McGuinness
At: TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington
Phone: 773-281-8463; $25-$30
Runs through: March 22
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
Food rationing may be on, but there is no short supply of bubbling resentment to be dished out in Dolly West's Kitchen. TimeLine Theatre does an expert job in serving up the Chicago premiere of this 1999 drama by gay Irish playwright Frank McGuinness, even if the text's basic ingredients and situations aren't the freshest.
Dolly West's Kitchen focuses on the free-thinking West family making do as Ireland uncomfortably sits out World War II as a neutral country. Dolly ( Kat McDonnell ) is the most adventurous and worldly-wise daughter, having spent several years in Italy running a restaurant. Sister Esther ( Danica Ivancevic ) is in an unhappy marriage with her milquetoast husband, Ned ( Mark Richard ) , while younger brother Justin ( Niall McGinty ) haughtily uses his position in the Irish Army to spew a stream of anti-British sentiments.
Things get shaken up when visiting Allied soldiers show up, which excites the feisty orphaned kitchen maid Anna Owens ( Sara Hoyer ) . British soldier ( and one-time flame to Dolly ) Alec Redding ( Cliff Chamberlain ) arrives on his own with his own conflicted past, while the West's salt-of-the-earth and tipsy matriarch, Rima ( Kathleen Ruhl ) , invites two handsome American soldiers in the home with an unspoken agenda. Marco Delavicario ( Joshua Rollins ) is brazenly open about his homosexuality, while Jamie O'Brien ( Aaron Golden ) sets his sights on Esther.
McGuinness does a great job with the Irish humor, but play itself does feel a bit formulaic. It's as if McGuinness was working from a checklist of necessary plot points and opinions to make sure all aspects are explored politically and emotionally on Ireland's neutral stance during World War II.
The handling of homosexuality in Dolly West's Kitchen also seems more aligned to the tolerance of today than what we would assume from the pre-Stonewall era in Catholic Ireland. The acceptance is welcome, though it doesn't feel historically accurate.
If one can overlook the play's formulaic faults, you'll get some very polished performances and lovely production values in TimeLine's bountiful take on Dolly West's Kitchen. Director Kimberly Senior coaxes technically proficient and emotional performances from the very attractive cast. Only Chamberlain's lightweight British accent sticks out as inauthentic, while the two actresses cast as the West sisters look a tad too young to reflect their life experiences.
With Dolly West's Kitchen, McGuinness shows that those on the sidelines of World War II ended up being drawn in anyway. And even if the ending is not entirely happy or tidy, everything does get too easily wrapped up.
The play isn't perfect, but TimeLine Theatre's enjoyable production and strong performances in Dolly West's Kitchen certainly makes it all worthwhile.