Review by Tom Dayton.
Photos Pat Shortall
When I was a young buck, studying journalism at UCG, I spent many happy hours in my spare time playing rugby. As luck would have it, I played for the University, and later, got a few run-outs with the B team, wearing the Green of Connaught. My number 8 geansaí saw me in some great and thrilling battles. Like the great Willie Duggan of Kilkenny, I was regularly the last man out from a collapsed scrum. I mention this, purely to note that when it comes to awkward situations, my playing time with the oval ball saw many challenges.
Bombshell
None however prepared me for the looks and verbal taunts I received at O’Hara’s pub in Thomastown last week. Allow me to explain. I was asked (and delighted to have been) to review a production of The Quiet Land by Malachy McKenna at Thomastown Concert Hall, presented by Lake Productions. As we sat in the Logan Street pub, we were joined by some members of the Kilkenny city theatre fraternity. Following the usual introductions we got down to discussing the play. Apart from rugby, I had also dabbled in amateur theatre, so I was quite confident in offering an opinion on the production. I mentioned that I had seen Gerry Cody in a few recent productions, the latest being an incredible performance as Jack in The Weir, also at the Concert Hall. So far so good. And then the bombshell. I explained I had never seen Brendan Corcoran and wondered (out loud) whether Corcoran was involved in Kilkenny theatre for long. I was about to finish my comment by saying how fantastic he was, but the words did not come fast enough.
If I thought being trapped underneath a 900kg rugby scrum was bad, nothing prepared me for this. Looks of incredulity faced me. It was akin to saying, in my adopted town of Inistioge, that I never heard of Eddie Keher. After twenty minutes of explaining that I wasn’t extracting the urine, they eventually accepted that due to the fact that I am relatively new to Kilkenny, a genuine mistake had been made in not recognising this celebrated actor. They were not one bit happy.
A lesson learned. Note to self: In future, put brain in motion before operating tongue.
And so to the production.
Bewley’s
I was lucky enough to have seen a production of The Quiet Land when it debuted at Bewleys in Dublin. Two of Ireland’s best players-Des Keogh and Derry Power- delivered a master class that still lives with me. Indeed I purchased a script of the play a number of years ago and it takes pride of place in my theatre library section. I regularly take it down to read. I could attempt to give a brief synopsis of McKenna’s story, however, I think Lake member Emily Kelly summed up the play best in her programme message. Kelly spoke to the audience: “In a world that rarely stops talking, you’ve chosen an evening built on what goes unsaid. Since 2018, Lake Productions has grown from a few friends who couldn’t stay away from the stage into nearly thirty productions. We are neighbours first and a theatre company second — which is, we think, the right way round. Tonight we give you Malachy McKenna’s The Quiet Land. Two old farmers, Eamon and Nashee, meet at a gate on a hillside, as they have for half a lifetime. They talk of hurling and weather in that dry country code where the warmest thing a man can say is an insult, and silence does the heavy lifting. Beneath the banter lies a quieter grief — and two men learning, too late and just in time, how to say what matters”. Beautifully put Ms Kelly..
Duos
It is of course wrong to compare shows and actors. Apples and oranges and all that. Plus, the Bewley’s production was professional, while the Thomastown cast were amateur. Be that as it may, of the two shows, I for one, feel Corcoran and Cody got more from the script than I think any other performers did. The standard of acting, their delivery, their use of silence and the way they bounced off each other would make you wonder if there are any who would perform this show to a higher standard. Either professional or amateur. I think not.
If acting is about anything, it surely is about chemistry between actors. Trust in your fellow actor is paramount. Take the famous actor duos from the movies who worked exceptionally well together- Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
And of course you couldn’t forget the magnificent pairing of Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello who are two of the most famous comedy teams in film history.
I have no hesitation in comparing the Corcoran and Cody performance in the same breath as the aforementioned actors. The McKenna play served up a delicious treat of an Ireland that the vast majority of city folk know little or anything about. Those who read my last review in The Observer on The Weir will know I rated it ten out of ten. I offer the same marks here. What a pleasure to have witnessed this incredible offering of theatre. Congrats to you Lake Productions. Like a certain alcoholic drink advertisement once said, the consumption of this play left me breathless. Lighting and sound was by Paddy Morris. A truly splendid set design and decoration was by Terry Brennan.
The stones will speak
Prior to the Quiet Land, we were treated to a most glorious black and white film, ‘The Stones will speak’, from The Terence MacDonald collection. Terence McDonald was a teacher, film historian, film collector and pioneering amateur film maker. Born in the city of Derry in 1926, the films he made during his lifetime are diverse in genre and subject.
