4 STARS, April 29 – May 5. Two actors play 15 characters in an impressive tragicomedy that careers from laughter to tears
Joanna Leppink
The Greatest Showman, Nativity, Hamlet 2: there are plenty of films about the perils and pitfalls of putting on stage shows. But Stones In His Pockets is something altogether rarer: a play about the making of a film. It’s not hard to see why this subject is rarely tackled on stage. It’s difficult for theatre to conjure up the intricate machinery of filmmaking, from the cameras and sound recording equipment to the huge crowds of extras and technicians. But Stones In His Pockets actually embraces these limitations, making them part of its sharp-edged humour and its versatile power.
Two actors play each of the 15 parts – including glamorous Hollywood icons, drunken old men, and efficient producers. One minute an actor will be an Irishman in tears over the exploitation of his land on the big screen, the next he’ll be a smarmy director encouraging his crew of extras to smile more. It’s a cunning trick; by not even trying to compete with the realism and manpower of the film industry, Stones In His Pockets quietly points to the power and versatility of theatre. Where in film would you see an actor make these quicksilver transitions between accents, mannerisms, and characters? Where in film is their scope for such originality?
Joanna Leppink
A brief note on the plot of Stones In His Pockets. We’re in a town in impoverished rural Ireland. Farming has languished, and most of the townspeople are working for £40 a day as extras in a big-budget American movie, The Quiet Valley. This is a discontented working class being paid to act out a Hollywood fantasy of their own suffering, expected to dig turf, perform Irish jigs, and look on dumbly while the high-born heroine defies her greedy father. At first, the absurd situation is played for laughs, until a tragic twist at the end of the first Act transforms this into a bitter, angry tragicomedy.
The whole thing is anchored by two central characters, Charlie Conlan and Jake Quinn, who provide the emotional heart of the play. Charlie’s an optimist. He once owned a video rental store, but was run out of business by a rival corporation. Jake, newly returned from New York, is a philosopher who broods on the unfairness of life. We chart the ups and downs of their friendship as they come to terms with their dissatisfaction and poverty, all the while cracking jokes and getting into scrapes. Jake is courted by a Hollywood star who wants to imitate his accent; Charlie chases producers with the script he’s sure will make his fortune.
Joanna Leppink
This production at Hampton Hill Theatre is notable in its spartan simplicity. The play is performed in a small room (so small that the audience are chivvied by the actors to tuck their legs under their chairs to clear space for the action). There is no set, no costume changes, and no props. Still, somehow, it works. Brendan Leddy and Ian Kinane are exceptionally talented and versatile actors. Both shine in every part, but there are a few roles that deserve special mention: Kinane gives an incredibly affecting portrayal of a child, as well as a superbly sniffy and uptight Assistant Director. Leddy is hilarious as an Oxbridge educated Director, Clem Curtis, and as the gorgeous American actress Caroline Giovanni.
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and one that stays with you long after the curtain falls (a metaphorical curtain, because this production is so sparse that there is in fact no curtain and no stage, and the actors signal the end of an Act by literally leaving the room.) This isn’t a play for those shrinking violets who shy away from a little audience interaction – the actors are likely to address you, mock your outfit, shake your hand, or encourage you to switch seats. And don’t go through the programme laughing at funny names or drawing moustaches on the pictures before the play begins – the actors sit among you, acting like fellow audience members, before leaping to their feet when the action commences.
Those words of warning aside, expect a play performed with talent and versatility, with the potential to make you laugh and cry in equal measure.
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