by J Bruce Parker
The history of Lucan’s notorious Donnelly family still resonates 145 years after the deadly event of 1880. Two plays, James Reaney’s The Donnelly Trilogy and Peter Colley’s The Donnellys, were in local productions in the last two years. In 2005, the late filmmaker, author, and playwright Christopher Doty developed a dramatized recreation of the Donnelly trial performed at the Middlesex County building, the same courtroom where the trial of the offenders took place. Noted authors Orlo Miller, Ray Fazakas, and Nate Hendley all wrote books on the subject, which remain trusted volumes on the story of this family. In 2021, author John Little published a two-volume book on the tragedy.
But there are still ghost stories of the Donnellys in the ether. Playwright and Artistic Director of AlvegoRoot Theater, Adam Corrigan Horowitz, has added a new branch to the long-standing Donnelly family tree. Drawing from James Reaney’s ‘Sleigh Without Bells’, a short story taken from his 1996 volume, ‘The Box Social And Other Stories’, with director Kydra Ryan, Corrigan Horowitz has created a one-man play; one which views the Donnellys in a new light — Sleigh Without Bells A Donnellys Story.
(Pictured: Adam Corrigan Holowitz as Ephraim Fulmmerfelt. Photo Credit – J Bruce Parker)
The 70-minute production focuses on a young German boy, Ephraim Fulmmerfelt, travelling from Perth County in a horse and buggy to Southold Township, finding his way to the town of Lucan during a snowstorm. It is here he becomes face-to-face with James and Johanna Donnelly. He is a witness to the hatred, suspicion, and prosecution by both the church and the community towards the couple and their family. Being an outsider, Ephraim’s response is unbiased towards the family that has provided both friendship and lodging. There is something in the kindness and charm of James and Johanna extended to the young man, where Ephraim eventually exclaims that he has “fallen in love with the Donnellys”. We see the targeted family in a new light, from a young stranger who trusts their innocence to the point of offering to pay a wrongfully incurred fine thrust upon his hosts.
(Pictured: Adam Corrigan Holowitz as Ephraim Fulmmerfelt. Photo Credit – J Bruce Parker)
The story turns when Ephraim, after surviving a fall into a river, becomes haunted by the souls of James and Johanna in the afterlife. It is eventually revealed that young Ephraim’s subconscious created the event while falling asleep near the ruins of the Donnelly home long after the massacre of the family. The ghosts of the Donnellys arise again.
Alone onstage, Corrigan Horowitz carries the story both confidently and convincingly. Being a Donnelly story, we become concerned about Ephraim’s naivety and choice of spending time with those accused of such appalling crimes.
The set is sparse, containing a single riser, with a backdrop depicting the cold and frigid sky. Stage props in the form of black painted arms erupt out of the floor. Initially, the arms work practically, guiding the reins on Ephraim’s coach as well as holding other props, but there is a point when one can sense the undead reaching beyond the grave.
Is the Donnelly story still relevant?
Corrigan Horowitz tells me. “It displays Ephraim diving into the Donnelly story, as he found out who they were and how he fell in love with them. I see this story as a companion to Reaney’s The Donnelly Trilogy. The fact that Ephraim exclaims, “I am in love with the Donnellys,” suggests the autobiographical voice of Jamie Reaney and his deep interest and research into the subject.
He adds, “I think it is fairly rare to see a case of scapegoating to get this extreme in the present day. It speaks of old-world grudges coming from Ireland. Even up into the 1990s, Lucan was not comfortable talking about the Donnellys. The idea of the murderers walking free remains unsettling.”
Sleigh Without Bells ran from October 22nd to 26th to near capacity audiences at Manor Park Theatre and was presented at a most appropriate time of year.
AlvegoRoot Theatre is neatly tucked inside Manor Park Memorial Hall at 11 Briscoe St, and prides itself on Telling Local Stories, Creating Local
Theatre
To learn more about AlvegoRoot Theatre and its 2025-2026 Season, visit https://www.alvegoroottheatre.com/
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Reviewed by J Bruce Parker
The Beat Magazine 2025 