From the moment I entered the theatre there was a thick mist in the air, creating a dream-like feeling that was perfect for a play that oozed with Celtic mythology. Featuring some of Toronto’s best known Irish actors, The Immortal Hour was written during the Celtic Renaissance by a playwright who was a bit mystical himself.

The play, written by Fiona Macloed, was put on by Glastonbury West at the George Ignatieff Theatre. Macloed’s real name was William Sharp, and Sharp wrote under both names during his career, even corresponding with his friend W.B. Yeats as both personalities. Yeats did not find out the truth about Fiona until after Sharp’s death in 1905.

The Immortal Hour is set between two Samhains—the old Celtic New Year—and concerns a crafty spirit named Dalua who gives King Eochaidh a year to live the life he’s always dreamed of. The year is perfect, but it ends in ruins. Very much based on Greek theatre, there were only a few characters onstage at a time, speaking in Shakespearean-styled monologues of iambic pentameter.

Although punctuated with terrific moments and accented by a professional Celtic band, the play had much room for improvement. Aside from the monologue-style of reading being difficult to follow, some of the actors seemed stiff while others seemed a little too into their roles for what was supposed to be a reading—not a full out production. This contrast in styles made the play a chore to watch, and the melancholic between-scenes songs of the band wore on the nerves by the third change of scenes. If the band was to be limited to the beginning, between acts, and the end, they might be better incorporated.

My advice to Glastonbury West is, apart from what I’ve already mentioned, decide on who you want your audience to be (I would recommend Celtic Societies, theatre and English Students, etc…) then make no apologies.