‘Southie’ Son Looks ‘Back’

By Tom Deignan

SOUTH Boston is once again hot artistic property, thanks in large part to the well-received Clint Eastwood film of Mystic River, based on Dennis Lehane’s book, and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon.

But Dave McLaughlin always knew working class Boston was fertile turf. The award-winning writer of the play Southie is a West Roxbury native, and has a new play coming out. McLaughlin will direct the world premiere of his play Back to Before.

The play opens this Friday, November 28 in Boston, and runs through December 20. The cast includes Boston-based talent such as Robert Wahlberg, Lance Greene, Rosalind Landman and Heather Lee.

Back to Before is being described as a raw play, which uses acoustic Celtic music to strong effect. The musical sounds alternate between the melancholy and the madcap, while the dialogue makes for pitch-perfect Boston banter.

At the center of Back to Before is the tormented Terry O’Toole.

Terry’s identical twin brother Aiden was murdered by a bookie in a Boston barroom. Five years later, Terry and his wife have moved to Los Angeles, and his boyhood pal Jack Flaherty comes over for dinner with a stunning Russian girlfriend. 

The play moves from nostalgia for the old neighborhood to searing confrontations about Aiden’s murder – and the secrets and lies surrounding it. 

Ultimately, Terry cannot stop himself from retracing and reliving the story of Aiden’s murder, which may very well get him in trouble. 

Interestingly, the actors in Back to Before will be joined by a sole musician each night. Striving for a bit of experimentation, performances will rotate between three different musicians using three different sets of instruments. The musicians are Brian Qualey (wooden flute, tin whistle), Matty Metcalfe (accordion), and Johnny Coe (guitar, bodhran, Gaelic vocals).