I made my way back to Theatr Clwyd this evening to watch the smash hit and Olivier Award-winning play by Marie Jones ‘Stones In His Pockets’. This is a play not normally in my chosen genre to go and see but I believe is good not to get stuck in a theatre rut, and I was looking forward to what the night would bring. Hailed as a “triumphant, fast, brilliant and hilarious” piece of theatre (Independent) I was expecting good, heck, great things! I certainly needed a pick me up, a bit of escapism from a somewhat stressful day and I would say this clever, slick, tight and unexpected production did whet my appetite for more comedy and there were some excellent laugh-out-loud moments.
A brief synopsis: when a major Hollywood film studio descends on a village in rural Ireland, the demand for local extras from the local community is huge. As the story unfolds, two lively and energetic actors bring this story to life with the portrayal of over 15 extraordinary characters. A huge undertaking for any actor. The two actors in question Owen Sharpe and Kevin Trainor certainly had a challenge on their hands, though for me they handled the quick jumping from one role to another with great ease. Sharpe particularly stood out for me and slipped into new characters effortlessly, a natural performer, with a great likeability and a physicality to his work that at times had me thinking had I come to the circus, such were his quirky little mannerisms of some of his clown-like roles. He was loose and free up there and I liked this very much.
Trainor (who for me had a Kiefer Sutherland air to him – perhaps in looks/mannerisms) was great too, though with one or two of his characters a bit sterner and perhaps less likeable than Sharpe’s, I just took a little longer to warm up to him. One point for me was that Trainor did a little spin, an almost twirl on stage into each character, and although I can understand from an actors point of view, this would help to create a very physical distinction, an almost beginning and end of each role, I just found it a bit distracting. As an audience member you were almost given a clue when that next role was coming. I like to be surprised and just a minor point nonetheless, but one I was aware of more and more as the play progressed. Trainor it has to be said was a very intriguing (in a good way) and a watchable actor up on the stage and a very strong physical performer.
Having strong Irish roots to this play, it was good to chat with fellow audience members next to me who also come from strong Irish backgrounds to see what they thought. Well they enjoyed it very much, said it was very typical. One note, there is a lot of swearing, now I love a good F word, the powerful impact of that word for me can really work. Was the, at times, spicy language overdone in this? Perhaps. Slipped into many of the lines the F word can lose its impact, it can become a bit distracting, and for me it was. Though perhaps I’ve not spent enough time around my Irish friends, I’m sure there could have been audience members who thought there wasn’t enough colourful language!
The set designed by Peter McKintosh for me was perfect, as soon as you walked into the auditorium you were greeted with a wonderful countryside space, the beautiful sky backdrop helped to transport me over the sea to rural Ireland and the Irish music and the dancing…oh the dancing! You are in for a real treat there and Sharpe and Trainor have obvious hidden talents.
Directed by Lindsay Posner ‘Stones In His Pockets’ is definitely a worthwhile watch, it is no mean feat taking on over 15 roles between just two actors. This production I imagine would have had a strong rehearsal process and the actors are to be commended on taking on a huge amount of text. It is fast-paced, has a bit of dark humour as well as the lighter moments and I imagine I will still have it on my mind long after seeing it.
Is the Hollywood dream all that.....find out for yourselves!
Stones In his Pockets is on at Theatr Clwyd until Saturday 11th May.
Reviewer - Mary Fogg
on - 7/5/19
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