An excellent cast does justice to McPherson's tender script. Rating
Excellent
It is Christmas Eve, in a house in Dublin. Richard (Ian Cooke) has recently lost his sight and Sharky (Eugene Duffy) has come home to help him. To say the brothers like a drink would be an understatement. A couple of old friends drop in for a jar bringing Mr Lockhart (Matthew Flexman), a polite stranger who turns out more sinister than he appears. The poker game that follows brings new and old resentments to the surface and drastically raises the stakes. An evening of darkness, laughs and a staggering amount of alcohol takes its toll while the supernatural begins to take hold.
In 2006, Conor McPherson‘s The Seafarer debuted at the National Theatre earning an Olivier nomination for best new play. Putney Arts Theatre now presents a twentieth anniversary production. The evening unfolds in the brothers’ living room. It’s a vivid set design by Simon Crump. King crisp packets, Brennan’s bread, cans of Harp, the detail in the debris setting out an Irish home filled with friendship and the remnants of a night on the booze. With this simple set and minimal frills, it’s a tall tale which needs the cast to carry the weight and work in unison, and that is exactly what we get here. McPherson’s dialogue flows as smoothly as the whiskey, full of Irishisms and rhythm. There is no doubting the love and camaraderie these men have for each other even with all the name-calling.
Duffy gives a compelling performance as Sharky, covering his weary exasperation with his brother and the quiet—but growing panic—simmering underneath. We know Sharky has issues and has spent his life being his own worst enemy and Duffy convinces us that Sharky is running from himself. Cooke brings warmth and humour to Richard. His recent blindness doesn’t define the character; he may have retreated further into the bottle, but his tongue has not changed and is quick to lash at his brother upon whom he is dependent.
There is a real tenderness in McPherson’s script. Richard’s injury has taken much from him and left him reliant on friends and family, yet their grumbling never disguises genuine care. They mock, snap, and complain, but they help him wash and toilet and dress as well as fetching booze on demand.
When Richard could become a caricature—his lashing out at Sharky perhaps tottering into comic relief—he never quite does. The play keeps reminding us of the man beneath this injury, wrestling with loss, pride and dignity. James Turner does an especially good job showing Ivan’s help and concern and most of all loyalty to his old friend. He really grounds this, ensuring that this tenderness feels earned.
It is Lockhart that shifts the evening decisively. Flexman plays him with a quiet stillness, at odds with the banter and drunken chaos around. He watches, listens and waits with an unsettling restraint. As we lean into the supernatural, the drunken shenanigans turn into something ominous, the past reappears and the poker stakes become everything.
Ian Higham‘s direction is strong and unfussy, trusting and relying on his cast to carry the script naturally. There is a particularly nice touch for Sharky, as his world closes in around him, he moves towards the very corner of the stage as if trying to be anywhere else. A feeling of isolation and a desire to be anywhere else comes through as the rest of the lads sit together on the other side of the room. A simple piece of staging but one that brings a strong visual.
The Seafarer is a darkly funny evening with an excellent cast that really highlights connections and tender humanity at the heart of McPherson’s script.
An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books.
Director: Ian Higham
Producer: Cait Hart Dyke
Stage Manager: Sarah Jillings
ASM: Megan Good
Lighting Designer: Martin Jessop
Set Design: Simon Crump
Sound Design: Nick Wells
Costume Design: Simon Crump
The Seafarer plays at Putney Arts Theatre until Saturday 21 February.
