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Intimate performances are far superior to those at gigantic theatres. Places like the Tennessee Theatre are great, especially with their old, vintage look, but Black Box is great for a show like The Weir, which only features five cast members.

The Black Box Theatre, located in the Homberg area of west Knoxville, is a tiny, aptly named venue with dark black walls where I recently had the pleasure of viewing The Weir (by Connor McPherson).

Put on by the Actors Co-op, The Weir was the first play I’ve seen in Knoxville in my two years here and makes me feel that I’ve really been missing out.

The cast enters slowly, one by one at first, followed by a pairs (totaling four men and one woman), setting the scene of a tiny, neighborhood Irish Pub. The set completes the play, featuring dark, worn, wooden bar with two taps behind it. There are bottles of liquor (including a noticeable Jameson Irish Whiskey), photographs, and paintings behind the bar as well, adding to the homegrown feel of the place. If it were a real bar, I’d hang out there.

The rest of the set, consisting of a chimney against the far wall and a circular table in the center, is dispersed among the middle of the room. The audience sits in elevated seating to either side, adding to the intimate feel—the play is literally going on among the crowd.

The characters exchange humorous anecdotes and have light-hearted conversation while drinking profusely (something which is humorous in and of itself) and smoking cigarettes (which are real, so keep that in mind if you are bothered by smoke). For at least the first half-hour it’s not particularly obvious which direction the play is heading.

Slowly, the play takes a small, dark turn when the men entertaining "Valerie" (played by Amy Hubbard) bring up local ghost stories. They’re not particularly frightening at first but it sparks an interest among the characters.

Each goes on to tell their own ghost story coming from an experience in each character’s life. The stories amplify in fright, climaxing in an emotional, terrifying monologue which steals the show completely. As is the tone throughout the entire show, the creepier parts are followed up by lighter, funnier segments.

The ability to keep up an Irish accent for almost two hours is impressive, and the cast pulls it off perfectly.

There is no intermission, but clocking in around 1 hour and forty minutes, an intermission isn’t necessary. The Friday and Saturday shows are early enough in the evening to go out afterward!

It’d be a great place to take a date for a late Valentine’s celebration.

The Weir stars:
Greg Congleton as "Jack"
Darrien Thompson as "Brendan"
Jim Richardson as "Jim"
Tony Cedeno as "Finbar"
Amy Hubbard as "Valerie"

Directed by Sara Schwabe
Produced by the Actors Co-op

Performance dates: Feb 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 at 8pm. For tickets, visit knoxtix.com.