3 STARS, Feb 28 - March 3. A "solid rather than inspiring" performance of a classic, says Amanda Hodges
Conor McPherson's wonderfully atmospheric play was hailed as a modern masterpiece on its first production at the Royal Court in 1997 and it has lost none of its intrinsic appeal two decades on, although the current touring revival does, on the whole, feel solid rather than inspiring.
Set in the beautifully conjured depths of a distinctly dingy rural Irish pub on a blustery night (well conveyed by Richard Hammarton's soundscape) the story revolves around a group of disparate locals and the ghost stories they tell over the course of a long evening.
The pub's regulars are largely solitary individuals like the crabby, loquacious Jack and his gentler neighbour Jim, men unused to female company and so when flash former local Finbar brings visitor Valerie to the pub their attempts to impress her involve the regaling of local folklore and supernatural tales, something which eventually triggers a far more profound catharsis than anyone could have anticipated.
The Weir is the sort of play which possesses a timeless quality although it's also clearly rooted in a specific type of Irish community, one where the pub is the vital hub of rural life, providing a pivotal focus for some of its lonelier locals. It has a pervasive melancholy which deepens as the evening progresses yet this is frequently lifted by a droll humour which is also a key characteristic of the drama.
The cast are working with a first-rate script and overall they're pretty effective although one would have to say that it's Sean Murray's cantankerous Jack who's truly terrific, holding the stage effortlessly as he moves from downing copious pints to reflecting on life's missed opportunities, all the while dispensing fatherly advice to the kindly young barman, Brendan, strongly played by Sam O'Mahony.
Director Adele Thomas captures the rhythms of McPherson's absorbing drama well and whilst it's not a production that perhaps manages all the pathos or poignancy that this drama can, at its best, convey, it does nonetheless remind an audience how intrinsically compelling a play The Weir remains.
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