In theory, there are only seven original plots in literature, and every story told is a variation on one of these plots. One of the most oft used is the one about two people on opposite sides of a conflict who form a relationship. (The most famous version of this theme is, of course, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”)
Owen McCafferty’s 1998 tragi-comedy “Mojo Mickeybo,” which is receiving its Washington-area premiere as part of Keegan Theatre’s New Island Project, is yet another riff on this plotline. Here, the main characters are two young Irish boys, one Catholic, the other Protestant, who become friends in the midst of the strife raging in 1970 Belfast.
Mojo (Christopher Dinolfo) and Mickybo (Michael Innocenti) first meet while playing in the park. Their friendship is cemented a few days later when they go to the movies to see a new “cowboy” picture, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Pretending that they are Butch and Sundance standing up to enemies, both real and imagined, quickly becomes their favorite game.
Both boys are innocently unaware of the ethnic and social divide between the two of them. They know about the violence erupting around them, but they perceive it only in abstract terms. In one of the play’s funniest scenes, they imagine which superheroes would be best suited to prevent bombings in Belfast. (They decide that Superman and Spider-Man would be cool, but Batman would be “too slow.”)
Eventually, the real world intrudes on their friendship when a parent of the boys’ parents is killed in a shootout, forcing them to recognize the gulf between their two worlds.
Beautifully directed by Eric Lucas, “Mojo Mickeybo” is a dual tour de force for both Dinolfo and Innocenti, who, in addition to playing the title roles, also portray their parents and the other children and adults in their lives. (The show’s infectious energy and humor isreminiscent of Solas Nua’s premiere production “Disco Pigs,” which, not coincidently, was also directed by Lucas.)
Despite its specific setting, “Mojo Mickeybo” touches on a timeless and universal topic, which makes the story’s outcome all the more heart-wrenching. Once again, Keegan has delivered the goods, proving why they are one of the most highly regarded of local theater troupes.
If you go …
Keegan Theatre’s production of “Mojo Mickeybo” runs through Saturday
Venue: Theater on the Run, 3700 Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington
Performances: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: $15 to $20
More info: 703-892-0202 or www.keegantheatre.com
