Reviewed by Hilary Dawes
25 years on from its original successful world tour, acclaimed writer Marie Jones and her son, director Matthew McElhinney, are bringing a fresh take on this funny, thought-provoking award-winning comedy.
Set in rural Ireland, a small village is turned upside down by the arrival of a Hollywood studio to film the latest historical blockbuster. Told through the eyes of local lads Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn, who are employed as extras, it soon becomes clear that Tinseltown’s romanticised dream of Ireland is a long way from reality.
As Charlie and Jake await their instructions on set we hear how they dream of a life beyond earning just 100 Euros per day as extras. Jake is cynical, newly returned from America, where his hopes and dreams of success have been shattered. Charlie thinks his screenplay will bring him success, if only he could get a famous figure to take a look. At first Charlie seems the more upbeat and optimistic of the pair, but after the tragic demise of Jake’s cousin Shaun, we learn that he too has suffered dark times.
As shooting continues, we witness the unpredictable nature of film production and meet the various members of the film crew, along with the director and the glamorous heroine, all played by just two cast members, Gerard McCabe and Shaun Blaney, providing an acting master class with their jaw-dropping skills in seamlessly portraying every character (13 in all!). Their astonishing ability to switch gender and voice at lightning speed with just an alteration of stance, facial expression or slight tilt of a hat, is sublime. Each character is instantly credible, notably Gerard McCabe’s self-obsessed leading lady morphing in the blink of an eye into her heavyweight, male Scottish bodyguard! Shaun Blaney’s hilarious portrayal of bossy assistant director Aisling was totally believable, transforming before our eyes into the equally convincing decrepit veteran extra, Mickey.
After his many snide remarks about Charlie’s film script, Jake apologises, and in a flash of inspiration puts forward his idea of how they could work together to take on the industry and use their experience to turn the tables and tell their own story. The feelgood ending holds a surprise which no-one saw coming!
Using minimal stage props, the atmosphere of the film set is brilliantly conveyed thanks to the talented design team, with ingenious AV design elements effectively depicting the sights and sounds of the external locations.
This is a fantastic, must-see play, with much raucous comedy and deeply poignant moments, and the richly deserved standing ovation for Gerard and Shaun looks set to be a nightly occurrence!
Running until 2 November 2024 at the Octagon Bolton
