It's almost as if ComedySportz Theatre morphs into a small Irish pub while the mysterious play "The Babbling Banshee" is on stage there.

As part of the IndyFringe Festival, Bloomington's Starrynight Productions transforms the cramped but cozy space into a tiny bar, complete with a fully stocked back bar and a solitary table.

The neighborhood pub serves as the workplace and home away from home for Bryan O'Brien, a successful young bar owner. He's closing up for the night when a loud rap at the door reveals Ryan O'Brien, a slight, disheveled old character who appears to be both familiar and a bit of a bother.

Bryan offers a bar of soap to Ryan, who refuses in disgust, instead offering to ply his trade (telling tales) in exchange for a free brew or two. Bryan is annoyed but humors what appears to be a longstanding routine.

With "The Babbling Banshee," playwright Russell McGee offers IndyFringe a refreshing change of pace. Rarely do you find a language play among the festival's litany of comedies, dramas and magic acts. But McGee, who has traveled to Ireland, contributes a script rich in Ireland's language, legends and culture.

The barkeep sets up a chessboard, and the game eventually becomes a metaphor for the conflicts between Ryan and Bryan.

Meanwhile, the raconteur sets off on a series of stories about an Irish king, a lost family and a banshee, or female spirit. Then suddenly, the action shifts between the fantasy stories to the real-life relationship between the men.

"The Babbling Banshee" is occasionally weighed down by the complexity of the stories and by the Irish accents. Ryan Adam Wells, who plays Bryan, and Roy Sillings (Ryan) hang onto their brogues consistently, but Wells sometimes drops his voice.

But on several levels, "The Babbling Banshee" tells a tale worth telling. Once the fairy tales fade away, the listener is left with a more universal family story that cuts across cultural barriers.