by Hugh Hunter

At Quintessence, “The Synge Festival” continues this week with the opening of “The Synge Triptych,” three short plays that run in rotating repertoire with “Playboy of the Western World.” Using the same actor ensemble, this two-hour production is more than the sum of its parts. It opens with a grim fatalistic drama and ends in a burlesque satire with a third tragicomic work plugged in the middle.

“Riders to the Sea” is a taut 30-minute show. Aging Maurya (E. Ashley Izard) has two lovely, companionable daughters, Cathleen (Melody Ladd) and Nora (Hannah Wolff). But five of her six sons have died. Now son Bartley (Christopher Morriss) sets off to sail the stormy seas off the wild Aran Islands to sell a horse in Connemara.

“Riders” is a haunting, poetic ode to mortality that is full of death symbols, from the pine boards perched in the corner to make the next coffin to the wailing women. Maurya pointedly sums up the play in her final speech: “What more can we want than that? No man at all can be living forever, and we must be satisfied.”

Then Synge’s dour humor comes to the fore. “In the Shadow of the Glen” Nora Burke (Eunice Akinola) tends to her deceased husband Dan (Joe Guzman) who lies in bed, shrouded in a white sheet. Full of unpredictable comic twists, two passersby, Tramp (Floyd King) and young Michael Dara (Brandon Walters), drop in to vie for her attention.

In the final play, “The Tinker’s Wedding,” Sara Casey (Megan McDermott) pushes her boyfriend Tinker Michael (Daniel Miller) into marrying her. They lasso a fat, venal priest (Floyd King) into performing the ceremony, but Mary (E. Ashley Izard), Michael’s hard-drinking mother, gums up the works. (Fearing a riot, “Tinker” was never produced in Synge’s lifetime.)

Synge has a knack for grabbing your attention, but be prepared for challenging language. The program centerfold glossary of Hiberno-Irish terms makes dialogue easier to follow, yet you need to let Synge’s lyrical language flow and just catch the central drift. When Synge moves away from the rugged West to County Wicklow near Dublin for the two comedies, the language becomes less florid.

“Triptyck” is a powerful show. Synge has a unique and exotic voice, steeped in Irish idioms and folkways, yet his stories still feel intimate and familiar. The Quintessence production makes the most of his writing, with stellar acting and an eye-catching rustic hut complete with gusty outdoor sound effects, (both designed by director Alex Burns).

Synge died tragically young at age 37. In addition to weekday shows, Quintessence honors his life by performing his entire work on two weekend festivals (Friday-Sunday). The weekend festival tickets include “Playboy” and the “Singe Triptych,” plus readings of his other two plays and his poetry. Visit their website for the precise showings.

Quintessence Theatre is located at 7137 Germantown Ave. “The Synge Festival” will run through Oct 27. Information at QuintessenceTheatre.org or 215-987-4450.