The name of ISU Theatre’s season opener is “Dancing at Lughnasa”, but the title is a major misnomer.

Set in a small Irish town in 1936, the show follows the lives of five unmarried sisters during the celebration of Lughnasa, a festival of the harvest. The sisters never even make it into town to partakeinf the dancing and drinking that goes on at Lughnasa festivals, and the only dancing that goes on at the house is a little impromptu jig to pass the time.

We get a peek into the sisters’ lives just after their brother Jack (played wonderfully by Mark Sutch), a Catholic priest, returns from a 25-year stint as a missionary in an African leper colony. Jack’s health ain’t so good, and his English vocabulary isn’t much better, since he has spoken Swahili for the past two decades.

Sutch’s portrayal of the somewhat bewildered priest rivals his excellent past performances. His stuttering, searching for the right word and constant hugging his jacket to him fit perfectly with his character. He also provides some much-needed comic relief.

Jack’s “heathenism” throws the sisters for a loop, especially the straight-as-an-arrow Kate (played by Sarah S. Williams), who loves her brother deeply but can’t quite understand his transformation. But their conversations and his stories of African religious ceremonies are the source of the show’s few nuggets of humor.

The story is told in a massive flashback from the point of view of one sister’s son, Michael (played by Jason Slater). He plays the part of both narrator (in his mid-40s) and seven-year-old boy in voice only.

Apparently Michael is a very dry boy, perhaps due to the absence of his father Gerry (played by Fritz Junker). The tone in which he delivers some very long monologues — almost too long — is flat at best, and completely devoid of humor or facial expression. I couldn’t help wondering why he relayed the story with so little emotion.

But the other members of the cast made up for his lack of exuberance. Sisters Maggie (played by Jennifer Vierck), Rose (Gwendolyn E. Lukas), Christina (Heather Gulling) and Agnes (Heather Buchanan) go through the entire gamut of emotions during their 2 1/2 hours on stage, which was plenty.

The chemistry between them — especially between Maggie and the others — is almost palpable, and the audience can’t help loving Rose, the slightly slow but sweet sister who everyone else has to look out for.

While “Dancing at Lughnasa” doesn’t live up to its name as far as action goes, the cast tries to make the most of a slow-moving storyline. There are the occasional bursts of song (when “the wireless” decides to work) and some on-again, off-again dancing when the sisters get in the mood.

And although the actors have a lot of down-time in between their lines, their non-verbal actions on stage fit in perfectly with their characters; it’s the little details that make the play worthwhile. The maternal Maggie kneads dough and slices bread in between comforting her sisters, and Agnes and Rose work away knitting gloves. Chris fiddles with some mending, and Kate puts away supplies she brought back from town.

Aside from these visual treats is the magnificent set, courtesy of Fritz Szabo. Since there is only one set for the entire play, the audience gets a lot of time to examine it: from the fields of wheat and rolling green hills in the background, to the shabby wooden house in which the sisters spend their time, Szabo thought of every detail, and it is breathtaking to see.

Those who missed “Dancing at Lughnasa” have another chance to see the play next weekend. It will be showing both Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

Tickets cost $4.75 for students and are available at the door.