‘the smuggler’: A 9000-Word Rhyming Exploration of Immigration and the American Dream

What does a rhyming 9,000-word one-man play about an Irish bartender have to do with modern American immigration? Quite a bit, actually. Written and directed by Ronán Noone, “the smuggler” puts Tim Finnegan (Billy Meleady), an Irish immigrant, alone and center stage to tell his story and critique the idealized “American Dream.” Although at times the strict rhymed structure inhibits the show’s sincerity of Finnegan’s monologue, Meleady’s lively yet intimate expressions and boisterous storytelling still provoke sympathy for the morally questionable character as he navigates the dilemmas and sacrifices of immigrant life.

Award-winning director and writer Noone’s production of “the smuggler” will run from Nov. 7 to Nov. 24 at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Around 70 minutes, the play features Tim Finnegan, a struggling Irish immigrant, who soliloquizes about the circumstances and events of his life that led him to own the very bar he stands in. On the fictional New England small town of Amity, a drunk driving accident has heightened tensions around immigrant communities, and controversy over the removal of a sycamore tree provides context for the local political scene. Against this background, Tim Finnegan describes his life as a jobless, alcoholic writer struggling to maintain his marriage and support his son. Out of desperation, Finnegan turns to theft and moral compromise, setting in motion a chain of personal justification and reckoning that both destroys and improves the lives of those around him.

The show begins with folk music, and Tim Finnegan descends the staircase into the basement of a bar, removes his coat, cracks open a beer, and sits on the black stool in the center of the stage. Meleady’s movements are exaggerated and comical, and as he begins his rhyming verse about his journey to America, his narrations seems more like an expositional theatrical monologue than intimate storytelling. However, Noone’s rhymes begin to feel natural as Finnegan’s personality, character, and flaws are revealed. Finnegan is not a lovable protagonist, his attitude is cynical and jaded, and he constantly tries to justify the mistreatment of his wife Tina and his crimes to himself. Yet Meleady’s moving expressions of true frustration and honest desperation make it difficult to entirely condemn his actions. This tension in Finnegan’s tell-all confession helps Noone express the complexity of immigrant communities on the most personal level, while still incorporating universal questions of moral compromise.

To introduce the characters of this story, from Finnegan’s mother-in-law to the mysterious “X,” Finnegan takes to attempting impressions of each to relay their dialogue. He is by nature an unreliable narrator, and pairing his bias with Meleady’s hilarious and exaggerated impressions adds an element of intimate storytelling. In the moments of greatest drama, such as a heated exchange between Tim and his wife or a confrontation between Tim and his cop brother-in-law, the rhyming aspect of the show and Meleady’s portrayal of other characters make the scenes captivating, turning a one-man performance into a drama significant to the contemporary world.

The web of relationships, secrets, and desires ultimately culminate with Tim Finnegan crossing the line, assuming the role of the smuggler and prospering. This ending, where morally-questionable actions and an immigrant-eat-immigrant mentality prevails, undermines the pedagogical face of the play, instead setting a harsh critique on the American Dream and its legacy.

In order to leave the debate and questions of ethics and morality in the spotlight, the play’s technical elements are subtle but effective. The set, a staircase leading from a well-lit door to a dirty but empty basement, is closed in by walls of red and black. Descending the staircase holds the imagery of a descent into Hell and sin, and mirrors Finnegan’s journey. Open and well-lit, the set allows Meleady to move freely, acting out dramatic moments without restraint, and heightens the confessionary aspect of his monologue.

As the play begins, the rhyming aspect of “the smuggler” seems to prevent intimacy in storytelling, but the candid portrayal of Finnegan’s flaws; Meleady’s personal, captivating performance; and the backdrop of a larger social conflict allow the play to transcend individual elements of its structure. In evoking sympathy for Tim Finnegan, Ronán Noone compellingly condemns an entirely black-and-white view of morality, immigration, and the American Dream itself.