Bonnie Fairbanks as Maria and Tate Seidewand as Sam Smith
Photo: Bob Tucker/Focalpoint Studio
Review by Rebecca M. Alvin
The tradition of going into a bar and telling tall tales likely goes back thousands of years. Written and directed by Jim Dalglish, with co-director Jennifer Kangas, Dark Tales Told on a Cold Autumn Eve capitalizes on the Gaelic storytelling roots that run so deep in New England, mixing that with our unique history on Cape Cod. The play is set in a tavern. Specifically, it is Samuel Smith Tavern, a real place in Wellfeet now submerged underwater around present-day Great Island, but which was a gathering spot for locals in the late 17th to early 18th centuries. Smith (Tate Seidewand) hosts an array of storytellers as they relive past lives, including stories as diverse as the one about Goody Hallett, the so-called “Witch of Eastham” and her affair with the pirate “Black Sam” Bellamy, and one about a traumatic night of debauchery that ends in unimaginable horror.
You might designate these stories as a kind of magical realism, weaving Gaelic tales of selkies into modern-day circumstances. Well-written and in some case profoundly disturbing, Dark Tales Told on a Cold Autumn Eve demonstrate Dalglish’s exceptional talent. And of course, it is well-timed for the Halloween season. Produced by Helltown Players, a roving theater troupe with the mission to produce as many plays by Cape Cod writers as possible, this piece immerses itself in Cape Cod lore, as well as diverse aspects of our contemporary life here, particularly on the Outer Cape. The local actors lend an authenticity to this ensemble work, each one bringing something unique to the table, although it must be said that Ian Ryan is a stand-out in his portrayal of a distraught father spending the summer in the Wellfleet woods alone with his son when his wife leaves them there.
The play has been touring the Cape, with performances in Orleans, Cotuit, Wellfleet, and now Provincetown. In each town, the staging is slightly different in order to integrate the story into its surroundings. I saw the performance at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, where it was performed in the round, with the audience onstage with the performers. At the upcoming show at the Provincetown Inn, Dalglish says it will performed in the actual bar, which is sure to add another dimension to this powerful and enjoying night of storytelling magic.
Dark Tales Told on a Cold Autumn Eve will be performed on Wednesday, October 29 and Thursday, October 30 at 7 pm. at the Provincetown Inn, 1 Commercial St. For more information call 617.308.0788 or email playwrights@helltownplayers.org. Tickets ($30/$20 for students and Card to Culture) are available at helltownplayers.org.
