The Seafarer by Conor McPherson

So, tonight, as a full Arcadia study abroad group, we went to the play The Seafarer at the Abbey Theatre. According to a website i found, the description of the play says:


A thrilling tale of a debt with the Devil…

“Drink yourself up on to the next shelf in the basement. Drink to where possibility feels infinite and your immortality feels strong.”

It’s Christmas Eve and Sharky has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, ageing brother who’s recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan and Nicky are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. With the arrival of a stranger from the distant past, the stakes are raised ever higher. In fact, Sharky may be playing for his very soul…
In the midst of this raucous tale of drinking, craic and card playing, there is a tender story of a family, and of redemption. So, pull up a chair alongside Sharky, Nicky, Ivan and co and enjoy a great story, well told.

This play was written for Ireland, so all the actor's spoke in strong grumbling accents and cussed and drank like mad! The acting was phenomenal, even though some of the time, I had not a clue what they were sayin! The character of Ivan was absolutely hilarious. He was always drinking, like most of 'em, and was extremely clumsy and stumbled over his words as his gruff and stuttering voice babbled in and out. As the description says, the devil was involved in the plot. The character named Sharky had won a bet years before that won him his freedom from the cell he shared with the devil. He had escaped hell that time, but the devil showed up for a second shot at stealing a soul. The part of the play that really hit me hard and stayed with me was a point at which that devil and Sharky were alone in a room and the devil described hell. It was absolutely horrible. It nearly stopped my heart from beating as I listened. I knew that all he said was not even near to the truth of the horrors of hell, even though his description was terrifying. He said that nobody is there to love you and that time never allows you to move forward and escape, by means of death. After that, he briefly stated that "in Heaven, time slips by." The last bit of the monologue really reminded me of something very important. With the devil, with sin, there is no love, there is no freedom, even though it can often feel like the freedom. With God, with his mercy and forgiveness, there is more incredible love than can ever be completely comprehended. A life lived for God is a life that gives your soul the incredible reward of Heaven and true freedom in an eternity filled with joyful worship, directed towards the one who died to forgive our sins. How amazing is that?! SO AMAZING! I know that there are so many lost souls. You and I and people all over are struggling to find love and security in this world. We just need to know and remember that Jesus Christ is the source of that security, He is the source of that love. There is NO OTHER SOURCE that can give us those two things the way that He can, absolutely no other. I feel fear thinking of those words spoken in that play about hell, but I feel peace and joy when I think of the love I have from my savior, Jesus Christ. :) I know that here, and anywhere else that i roam, I will be taken care of as long as I put my trust and faith in Him. Thank you for all of your prayers!