Review: Derry Boys, Theatre503

It was dramatic Greek know-all Aristotle who said “Give me the child until he is seven and I’ll show you the man.” Here we have a play divided between the adolescent high jinks of two lads from Derry and the much more serious consequences of their actions as adults.

As school kids, Mick (Matthew Blaney) and Paddy (Eoin Sweeney) are best mates whose Irishness defines them in contrast to the interloping British. In maturity, one of them grows away from that binary identity and anger, while the other retains his formative mindset of antagonism. It’s a very relatable situation – we’ve all experienced growing apart from former friends. But probably not many ghosts of our youth reappear in our lives with a badly thought-out plan to bomb the London Eye…

Blaney and Sweeney put in two really excellent turns as the leads. The contrast between the characters then and now is sharp and informative. We first meet Paddy in his intimidating adult form, so when we then encounter him as an insecure and uncertain youth the difference creates a strong impression. Sweeney inhabits both incarnations of Paddy with bold but believable characterisation, and Blaney is equally adept at showing us the hot-headed child and the more measured man that Mick becomes.

The production’s basic, movable set doesn’t always give a clear indication of where we are, but the in-character transitions work: how often does a half-lit furniture move contribute to your enjoyment of a show? It’s a mark of director Andy McLeod’s confident handling of the piece, which is sure and steady throughout.

This is the full-length debut of writer Niall McCarthy, and while the themes, structure and characters all work to a degree (though Catherine Rees isn’t given much to work with as Mick’s girlfriend) I missed a certain emotional oomph. Playing on childhood friendships and the end of innocence is usually a sure-fire empathy bomb, but there’s a slight absence of affection between the two boys in their younger scenes that prevents the heart from fully engaging with the drama the play builds to, capably staged though it is. There are also a few script mis-steps that give away the ‘new writer’ tag and could have easily been smoothed out, specifically a clunky opening metaphor about parakeets being an “invasive species” (like the Brits, geddit?) and an explanation of gender segregation in schools which is purely expositional.

Derry Boys is a solid first play featuring some nice veins of humour and an instinctive sense of drama. Old Aristotle would probably have seen potential here.

Written by: Niall McCarthy
Directed by: Andy McLeod
Produced by: Theatre 503 and Iona Bremner Productions
Set and Costume Design by: Caitlin Abbott
Lighting Design by: Jodi Rabinowitz
Sound Design by: Rudy Percival
Stage Manager: Tricia Wey
Production Manager: Herbe Walmsley
Movement Director: Emily Orne

Derry Boys plays at Theatre503 until Saturday 7 June.