Whenever I see a show that involves the characters drinking alcohol I always want to join them and feel quite envious that they are having a grand ol’ time down there and I’m sitting and merely watching. It’s even worse when the set is a very fine rendition of a pub that is really the back room of Brendan’s family house on the family farm in Western Ireland, and is where a few locals meet to discuss their day. The price of a pint and a whiskey is on the chalk board and when Jack, the local mechanic, opens the play by helping himself and putting the money in the till, I wanted to do the same. Whenever there was an offer of another round of a pint and a small one, I wanted to volunteer a shout. Particularly when they had settled into an evening of storytelling and we were privy to it all.
The ancient art of storytelling is part of the Irish heritage and The Weir is based on playwright Conor McPherson’s own experiences growing up and listening to the stories being told at the local. The Irish are a notoriously fey and superstitious people, and the stories of this play spin a ghostly and lyrical blanket that wraps itself around us over the 100 uninterrupted minutes of the play.
Three single men, Jack (Barry Shepherd), Jim, (Philip McGrath) the local odd jobs man who has been living with his rapidly dying mother for a long time, and the bar owner, Brendan (Benjamin Loutitt) have their nightly ritual altered by the news that local businessman/real estate agent and married man, Finbar (Carl Caulfield) has been showing a Dublin woman around. There is more than a hint of jealousy that the married man has her company and not them, so when Finbar arrives with Valerie (Rachelle Schmidt), they quickly set out to impress with Jack leading the way as he rolls out his tale of a house built on a faerie road and faeries knocking on the door. Jim and Finbar follow with their own superstitious and ghostly local stories featuring uneasy figures on the stairs and a disgruntled spirit in a graveyard.
By this stage the play settles into a series of monologues and the stories are told in vivid detail, like a dream you could touch.
Valerie is fresh ears for their stories, on the frame of a beautiful face. One has the sense that they have told them many times and are enhancing them for her. There is respect for one another’s stories and each story is given a full stop by another round of Guinness and a “small one” of Jameson. In some ways it is like a ghost story card game and Valerie trumps them with her personal account of her own tragic and ghostly experience. She catches them off guard, making her an instant local and changing the mood and atmosphere so dramatically that Jack loses all his swagger and bluster and opens up to tell his more personal tale of misguided arrogance and ultimate loss.
Stooged Theatre is renowned for staging contemporary, quality theatre and they continue this tradition with The Weir. This is the fourth production that Mat Lee has directed for the company and he and assistant director Brian Randall have enticed moving performances from the talented and experienced cast. Rachelle’s Schmidt’s Valerie caused a few audience members to pull out the tissues after her story, while I wanted that “small one” even more. Their Irish accents are lilting, natural and pleasant to the ear, enhancing the mystical nature of the stories without becoming incomprehensible.
The play is a gift for the monologue fanatic and students of character study and these characters’ stories are delivered by the Stooged ensemble with mastery and control. By the end of the play we feel that we know these affable, flawed, isolated people and they completely have our sympathy and attention. However, sometimes I wished for more pause in order to truly absorb and reflect on the magnificently mystical and moving experiences that had just been shared.
Joel Yager’s abovementioned set was truly authentic and inviting and quickly established the isolated, rustic, rural Irish pub. I would happily have a pint or two and a small one, sit by the fire and listen to the stories anytime. I recommend that anyone seeking some fine story telling pops themselves along to Brendan’s backroom bar in Western Ireland and settles in for the night.
Stooged Theatre’s production of THE WEIR is playing the Civic Playhouse, 375 Hunter Street, Newcastle until Saturday 22nd March, performing each night at 8pm.